o 


UCSB   LIBRARY 


A      r   •  i 

/VUU/VTL 


THE    HAPPY    DAYS 


THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE 


BY 

IMBERT    DE    SA1NT-AMAND 


TRANSLATED  BY 
THOMAS   SERGEANT  PERRY 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW   YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 
1900 


COPYRIGHT,  1890, 
BY  CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION „ 1 

CHAPTER 

I.  EARLY  YEARS 39 

II.  1809 48 

III.  THE  PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WEDDING 60 

IV.  THE  BETROTHAL 82 

V.  THE  RELIGIOUS  DIFFICULTY 98 

VL    THE  AMBASSADOR  EXTRAORDINARY 109 

VH.   THE  WEDDING  AT  VIENNA 120 

VLII.   THE  DEPARTURE 131 

IX.   THE  TRANSFER 138 

X.   THE  JOURNEY 148 

XL   COMFIEGNE 161 

XIL   THE  CIVIL  WEDDING 171 

XHL   THE  ENTRANCE  INTO  PARIS 179 

XIV.  THE  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONY 186 

XV.    THE  HONEYMOON 199 

XVI.   THE  TRIP  IN  THE  NORTH 210 

XVII.    THE  MONTH  OF  JUNE,  1810 217 

XVIII.  THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY..                     .  224 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  FA8B 

XIX.   THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  KING  or  BOMB 236 

XX.   THB  RECOVERY 250 

XXL   THB  BAPTISM 260 

XXTT.    SAINT  CLOUD  AND  TRIANON 269 

XXHI.   THE  TRIP  TO  HOLLAND 277 

XXTV.   NAPOLEON  AT  THB  HEIGHT  OF  HIS  POWER 287 

XXV.   MARIE  LOUISE  IN  1812 304 

XXVL   THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD 320 

XXVII.  DRESDEN 839 

XXVUL   PRAGUE..  .  362 


THE   HAPPY   DAYS 


OF 


THE   EMPRESS   MARIE   LOUISE 


THE   HAPPY  DAYS 

• 

OF 

THE    EMPRESS    MARIE    LOUISE 

INTRODUCTION. 

•** 
> 

IN  1814,  while  Napoleon  was  banished  in  the  island 
of  Elba,  the  Empress  Marie  Louise  and  her  grand- 
mother, Marie  Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples,  happened 
to  meet  at  Vienna.  The  one,  who  had  been  deprived 
of  the  French  crown,  was  seeking  to  be  put  in  posses- 
sion of  her  new  realm,  the  Duchy  of  Parma;  the 
other,  who  had  fled  from  Sicily  to  escape  the  yoke  of 
her  pretended  protectors,  the  English,  had  come  to 
demand  the  restitution  of  her  kingdom  of  Naples, 
where  Murat  continued  to  rule  with  the  connivance 
of  Austria.  This  Queen,  Marie  Caroline,  the  daughter 
of  the  great  Empress,  Maria  Theresa,  and  the  sister 
of  the  unfortunate  Marie  Antoinette,  had  passed  her 
life  in  detestation  of  the  French  Revolution  and  of 
Napoleon,  of  whom  she  had  been  one  of  the  most 
eminent  victims.  Well,  at  the  very  moment  when 
the  Austrian  court  was  doing  its  best  to  make  Marie 

Louise  forget  that  she  was  Napoleon's  "afe  and  to 

i 


THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 


separate  her  from  him  forever,  Marie  Caroline  was 
pained  to  see  her  granddaughter  lend  too  ready  an 
ear  to  their  suggestions.  She  said  to  the  Baron  de 
Me*neval,  who  had  accompanied  Marie  Louise  to 
Vienna :  "  I  have  had,  in  my  time,  very  good  cause 
for  complaining  of  your  Emperor ;  he  has  persecuted 
me  and  wounded  my  pride,  —  I  was  then  at  least 
fifteen  years  old,  —  but  now  I  remember  only  one 
thing,  —  that  he  is  unfortunate."  Then  she  went  on 
to  say  that  if  they  tried  to  keep  husband  and  wife 
apart,  Marie  Louise  would  have  to  tie  her  bedclothes 
to  her  window  and  run  away  in  disguise.  "  That," 
she  exclaimed,  "  that's  what  I  should  do  in  her  place ; 
for  when  people  are  married,  they  are  married  for 
their  whole  life  ! " 

If  a  woman  like  Queen  Marie  Caroline,  a  sister  of 
Marie  Antoinette,  a  queen  driven  from  her  throne  by 
Napoleon,  could  feel  in  this  way,  it  is  easy  to  under- 
stand the  severity  with  which  those  of  the  French 
who  were  devoted  to  the  Emperor,  regarded  the 
conduct  of  his  ungrateful  wife.  In  the  same  way, 
Josephine,  in  spite  of  her  occasionally  frivolous  con- 
duct, has  retained  her  popularity,  because  she  was 
tender,  kind,  and  devoted,  even  after  she  was  di- 
vorced; while  Marie  Louise  has  been  criticised, 
because  after  loving,  or  saying  that  she  loved,  the 
mighty  Emperor,  she  deserted  him  when  he  was  a 
prisoner.  The  contrast  between  her  conduct  and  that 
of  the  wife  of  King  Jerome,  the  noble  and  courageous 
Catherine  of  Wurtemberg,  who  endured  every  dan- 


INTRODUCTION.  3 


ger,  and  all  sorts  of  persecutions,  to  share  her  hus- 
band's exile  and  poverty,  has  set  in  an  even  clearer 
light  the  faults  of  Marie  Louise.  She  has  been 
blamed  for  not  having  joined  Napoleon  at  Elba,  for 
not  having  even  tried  to  temper  his  sufferings  at  Saint 
Helena,  for  not  consoling  him  in  any  way,  for  not 
even  writing  to  him.  The  former  Empress  of  the 
French  has  been  also  more  severely  condemned  for 
her  two  morganatic  marriages,  —  one  with  Count 
Neipperg,  an  Austrian  general  and  a  bitter  enemy  of 
Napoleon,  the  other  with  Count  de  Bombelles,  a 
Frenchman  who  left  France  to  enter  the  Austrian 
service.  Certainly  Marie  Louise  was  neither  a  model 
wife  nor  a  model  widow,  and  there  is  nothing  sur- 
prising in  the  severity  with  which  her  contemporaries 
judged  her,  a  severity  which  doubtless  history  will 
not  modify.  But  if  this  princess  was  guilty,  more 
than  one  attenuating  circumstance  may  be  urged  in 
her  defence,  and  we  should,  in  justice,  remember  that 
it  was  not  without  a  struggle,  without  tears,  distress, 
and  many  conscientious  scruples,  that  she  decided  to 
obey  her  father's  rigid  orders  and  become  again  what 
she  had  been  before  her  marriage,  —  simply  an  Aus- 
trian princess. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Empress  Marie 
Louise,  who  was  in  two  ways  the  grandniece  of 
Queen  Marie  Antoinette,  through  her  mother  Maria 
Theresa  of  Naples,  daughter  of  Queen  Marie  Caro- 
line, and  through  her  father  the  Emperor  Francis, 
son  of  the  Emperor  Leopold  II.,  the  brother  of  the 


THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 


martyred  queen,  had  been  brought  up  to  abhor  the 
French  Revolution  and  the  Empire  which  succeeded 
it.  She  had  been  taught  from  the  moment  she  left 
the  cradle,  that  France  was  the  hereditary  enemy, 
the  savage  and  implacable  foe,  of  her  country.  When 
she  was  a  child,  Napoleon  appeared  to  her  against  a 
background  of  blood,  like  a  fatal  being,  an  evil 
genius,  a  satanic  Corsican,  a  sort  of  Antichrist.  The 
few  Frenchmen  whom  she  saw  at  the  Austrian  court 
were  e'migre's,  who  saw  in  Napoleon  nothing  but  the 
selfish  revolutionist,  the  friend  of  the  young  Robes- 
pierre, the  creature  of  Barras,  the  defender  of  the 
members  of  the  Convention,  the  man  of  the  13th  of 
Vende*miaire,  the  murderer  of  the  Duke  of  Enghien, 
the  enemy  of  all  the  thrones  of  Europe,  the  author 
of  the  treachery  of  Bayonne,  the  persecutor  of  the 
Pope,  the  excommunicated  sovereign.  Twice  he  had 
driven  Austria  to  the  brink  of  ruin,  and  it  had  even 
been  said  that  he  wished  to  destroy  it  altogether,  like 
a  second  Poland.  The  young  archduchess  had  never 
heard  the  hero  of  Austerlitz  and  Wagram  spoken  of, 
except  in  terms  inspired  by  resentment,  fear,  and 
hatred.  Could  she,  then,  in  a  single  day  learn  to 
love  the  man  who  always  had  been  held  up  before 
her  as  a  second  Attila,  as  the  scourge  of  God? 
Hence,  when  she  came  to  contemplate  the  possibility 
of  her  marriage  with  him,  she  was  overwhelmed  with 
surprise,  terror,  and  repulsion,  and  her  first  idea  was 
to  regard  herself  as  a  victim  to  be  sacrificed  to  a 
vague  Minotaur.  We  find  this  word  "  sacrifice  "  on 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  lips  of  the  Austrian  statesmen  who  most  warmly 
favored  the  French  alliance,  even  of  those  who  had 
counselled  and  arranged  the  match.  The  Austrian 
ambassador  in  Paris,  the  Prince  of  Swartzenberg, 
wrote  to  Metternich,  February  8,  1810,  "I  pity  the 
princess ;  but  let  her  remember  that  it  is  a  fine  thing 
to  bring  peace  to  such  good  people ! "  And  Metternich 
wrote  back,  February  15,  to  the  Prince  of  Swartzen- 
berg, "The  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  sees  in  the 
suggestion  made  to  her  by  her  august  father,  that 
Napoleon  may  include  her  in  his  plans,  only  a  means 
of  proving  to  her  beloved  father  the  most  absolute 
devotion.  She  feels  the  full  force  of  the  sacrifice,  but 
her  filial  love  will  outweigh  all  other  considerations." 
Having  been  brought  up  in  the  habit  of  severe  disci- 
pline and  passive  obedience,  she  belonged  to  a  family 
in  which  the  Austrian  princesses  are  regarded  as  the 
docile  instruments  of  the  greatness  of  the  Hapsburgs. 
Consequently,  she  resigned  herself  to  following  her 
father's  wishes  without  a  murmur,  but  not  without 
sadness.  What  Marie  Louise  thought  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage  she  still  thought  in  the  last  years  of 
her  life.  General  de  Trobriand,  the  Frenchman  who 
won  distinction  on  the  northern  side  in  the  American 
civil  war,  told  me  recently  how  painfully  surprised  he 
was  when  once  at  Venice  he  had  heard  Napoleon's 
widow,  then  the  wife  of  Count  de  Bombelles,  say,  in 
speaking  of  her  marriage  to  the  great  Emperor,  "  I 
was  sacrificed." 

Austria  was  covered  with  ruins,  its  hospitals  were 


6  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

crowded  with  wounded  French  and  Austrians,  and 
in  the  ears  of  Viennese  still  echoed  the  cannon  of 
"Wagram,  when  salvos  of  artillery  announced  not 
war,  but  this  marriage.  The  memories  of  an  obsti- 
nate struggle,  which  both  sides  had  regarded  as  one 
for  life  or  death,  was  still  too  recent,  too  terrible 
to  permit  a  complete  reconciliation  between  the  two 
nations.  In  fact,  the  peace  was  only  a  truce.  To  facil- 
itate the  formal  entry  of  Napoleon's  ambassador  into 
Vienna,  it  had  been  necessary  hastily  to  build  a 
bridge  over  the  ruins  of  the  walls  which  the  French 
had  blown  up  a  few  months  earlier,  as  a  farewell  to 
the  inhabitants.  Marie  Louise,  who  started  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  trembled  as  she  drew  near  the 
French  territory,  which  Marie  Antoinette  had  found 
so  fatal. 

Soon  this  first  impression  wore  off,  and  the  young 
Empress  was  distinctly  flattered  by  the  amazing 
splendor  of  her  throne,  the  most  powerful  in  the 
world.  And  yet  amid  this  Babylonian  pomp,  and  all 
the  splendor,  the  glory,  the  flattery,  which  could 
gratify  a  woman's  heart,  she  did  not  cease  to  think 
of  her  own  country.  One  day  when  she  was  stand- 
ing at  a  window  of  the  palace  of  Saint  Cloud,  gaz- 
ing thoughtfully  at  the  view  before  her,  M.  de  Mdne- 
val  ventured  to  ask  the  cause  of  the  deep  revery  in 
which  she  appeared  to  be  sunk.  She  answered  that 
as  she  was  looking  at  the  beautiful  view,  she  was  sur- 
prised to  find  herself  regretting  the  neighborhood  of 
Vienna,  and  wishing  that  some  magic  wand  might 


INTRODUCTION. 


let  her  see  even  a  corner  of  it.  At  that  time  Marie 
Louise  was  afraid  that  she  would  never  see  her  coun- 
try again,  and  she  sighed.  What  glory  or  greatness 
can  wipe  out  the  touching  memories  of  infancy  ? 

Doubtless  Napoleon  treated  his  wife  with  the  ut- 
most regard  and  consideration ;  but  in  the  affection 
with  which  he  inspired  her  there  was,  we  fancy, 
more  admiration  than  tenderness.  He  was  too  great 
for  her.  She  was  fascinated,  but  troubled  by  so  great 
power  and  so  great  genius.  She  had  the  eyes  of  a 
dove,  and  she  needed  the  eyes  of  an  eagle,  to  be  able 
to  look  at  the  Imperial  Sun,  of  which  the  hot  rays 
dazzled  her.  She  would  have  preferred  less  glory, 
less  majesty,  fewer  triumphs,  with  her  simple  and 
modest  tastes,  which  were  rather  those  of  a  respec- 
table citizen's  wife  than  of  a  queen.  Her  husband, 
amid  his  courtiers,  who  flocked  about  him  as  priests 
flock  about  an  idol,  seemed  to  her  a  demi-god  rather 
than  a  man,  and  she  would  far  rather  have  been  won 
by  affection  than  overwhelmed  by  his  superiority. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed,  however,  that  Marie 
Louise  was  unhappy  before  the  catastrophes  that  ac- 
companied the  fall  of  the  Empire.  It  was  in  perfect 
sincerity  that  she  wrote  to  her  father  in  praise  of  her 
husband,  and  her  joy  was  great  when  she  gave  birth 
to  a  child,  who  seemed  a  pledge  of  peace  and  of 
general  happiness  ,  Let  us  add  that  the  Emperor 
never  had  an  occasion  to  find  fault  with  her.  Her 
gentleness,  reserve,  and  obedience  formed  the  com- 
bination of  qualities  which  her  husband  desired.  He 


8  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

had  never  imagined  an  Empress  more  exactly  to  his 
taste.  When  she  deserted  him,  he  was  more  ready 
to  excuse  and  pity  her  than  to  cast  blame  upon  her. 
He  looked  upon  her  as  the  slave  and  victim  of  the 
Viennese  court.  Moreover,  he  was  in  perfect  igno- 
rance of  her  love  for  the  Count  of  Neipperg,  and  no 
shadow  of  jealousy  tormented  him  at  Saint  Helena. 
"  You  may  be  sure,"  he  said  a  few  days  before  his 
death,  "  that  if  the  Empress  makes  no  effort  to  ease 
my  woes,  it  is  because  she  is  kept  surrounded  by 
spies,  who  never  let  my  sufferings  come  to  her  ears ; 
for  Marie  Louise  is  virtue  itself."  A  pleasant  delu- 
sion, which  consoled  the  final  moments  of  the  great 
man,  whose  last  thoughts  were  for  his  wife  and  son. 

We  fancy  that  the  Emperor  of  Austria  was  sincere 
in  the  protestations  of  affection  and  friendship  which 
he  made  to  Napoleon  shortly  after  the  wedding.  He 
then  entertained  no  thoughts  of  dethroning  or  fight- 
ing him.  He  had  hopes  of  securing  great  advantage 
from  the  French  alliance,  and  he  would  have  been 
much  surprised  if  any  one  had  foretold  to  him  how 
soon  he  would  become  one  of  the  most  active  agents 
in  the  overthrow  of  this  son-in-law  to  whom  he  ex- 
pressed such  affectionate  feelings.  In  1811  he  was 
sincerely  desirous  that  the  King  of  Rome  should 
one  day  succeed  Napoleon  on  the  throne  of  the  vast 
empire.  At  that  time  hatred  of  France  had  almost 
died  out  in  Austria;  it  was  only  renewed  by  the 
disastrous  Russian  campaign.  The  Austrians,  who 
could  not  wholly  forget  the  past,  did  not  love  Na- 


INTRODUCTION.  9 


poleon  well  enough  to  remain  faithful  to  him  in 
disaster.  Had  he  been  fortunate,  the  hero  of 
Wagram  would  have  preserved  his  father-in-law's 
sympathy  and  the  Austrian  alliance;  but  being 
unfortunate,  he  lost  both  at  once.  Unlike  the  rulers 
of  the  old  dynasties,  he  was  condemned  either  to 
perpetual  victory  or  to  ruin.  He  needed  triumphs 
instead  of  ancestors,  and  the  slightest  loss  of  glory- 
was  for  him  the  token  of  irremediable  decay ;  inces- 
sant victory  was  the  only  condition  on  which  he 
could  keep  his  throne,  his  wife,  his  son,  himself. 
One  day  he  asked  Marie  Louise  what  instructions 
she  had  received  from  her  parents  in  regard  to  her 
conduct  towards  him.  "To  be  wholly  yours,"  she 
answered,  "  and  to  obey  you  in  everything."  Might 
she  not  have  added,  "So  long  as  you  are  not  un- 
fortunate "  ? 

But  who  at  the  beginning  of  that  fatal  year,  1812, 
could  have  foretold  the  catastrophes  which  were  so 
near?  When  Marie  Louise  was  with  Napoleon  at 
Dresden,  did  he  not  appear  to  her  like  the  arbiter  of 
the  world,  an  invincible  hero,  an  Agamemnon,  the 
king  of  kings?  Never  before,  possibly,  had  a  man 
risen  so  high.  Sovereigns  seemed  lost  amid  the 
crowd  of  courtiers.  Among  the  aides-de-camp  was 
the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia,  who  was  obliged  to 
make  special  recommendations  to  those  near  him 
to  pay  a  little  attention  to  his  father-in-law,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria.  What  power,  what  pride,  what 
faith  in  his  star,  when,  drawing  all  Europe  after  him, 


10  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

— _ — , — ,  —         ^ 

he  bade  farewell  to  his  wife  May  29,  1812,  to  begin 
that  gigantic  war  which  he  thought  was  destined  to 
consolidate  all  his  greatness  and  to  crown  all  his 
glories !  But  he  had  not  counted  on  the  burning  of 
Moscow :  there  is  in  the  air  a  zone  which  the  highest 
balloons  cannot  pierce;  once  there,  ascent  means 
death.  This  zone,  which  exists  also  in  power,  good 
fortune,  glory,  as  well  as  in  the  atmosphere,  Napoleon 
had  reached.  At  the  height  of  his  prosperity  he  had 
forgotten  that  God  was  about  to  say  to  him :  Thou 
shalt  go  no  further. 

At  the  first  defeat  Marie  Louise  perceived  that  the 
brazen  statue  had  feet  of  clay.  Malet's  conspiracy 
filled  her  with  gloomy  thoughts.  It  became  evident 
that  the  Empire  was  not  a  fixed  institution,  but  a 
single  man ;  in  case  this  man  died  or  lived  defeated, 
everything  was  gone.  December  12,  1812,  the  Em- 
press went  to  her  bed  in  the  Tuileries,  sad  and  ill. 
It  was  half-past  eleven  in  the  evening.  The  lady-in- 
waiting,  who  was  to  pass  the  night  in  a  neighboring 
room,  was  about  to  lock  all  the  doors  when  suddenly 
she  heard  voices  in  the  drawing-room  close  by.  Who 
could  have  come  at  that  hour?  Who  except  the  Em- 
peror? And,  in  fact,  it  was  he,  who,  without  word 
to  any  one,  had  just  arrived  unexpectedly  in  a  wretched 
carriage,  and  had  found  great  difficulty  in  getting  the 
palace  doors  opened.  He  had  travelled  incognito  from 
the  Beresina,  like  a  fugitive,  like  a  criminal.  As  he 
passed  through  Warsaw  he  had  exclaimed  bitterly 
and  in  amazement  at  his  defeat,  "  There  is  but  one 


INTRODUCTION.  11 


step  from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous."  When  he 
burst  into  his  wife's  bedroom  in  his  long  fur  coat, 
Marie  Louise  could  not  believe  her  eyes.  He  kissed 
her  affectionately,  and  promised  her  that  all  the  disas- 
ters recounted  in  the  twenty-ninth  bulletin  should  be 
soon  repaired ;  he  added  that  he  had  been  beaten,  not 
by  the  Russians,  but  by  the  elements.  Nevertheless, 
the  decadence  had  begun;  his  glory  was  dimmed; 
Marie  Louise  began  to  have  doubts  of  Napoleon. 
His  courtiers  continued  to  flatter  him,  but  they 
ceased  to  worship  him.  A  dark  cloud  lay  over  the 
Tuileries.  The  Empress  had  but  a  few  days  to  pass 
with  her  husband.  He  had  been  away  for  nearly  six 
months,  from  May  29  till  December  12, 1812,  and  he 
was  to  leave  again  April  15,  1813,  to  return  only  No- 
vember 9.  The  European  sovereigns  could  not  have 
continued  in  alliance  with  him  even  if  they  had  wished 
it,  so  irresistible  was  the  movement  of  their  subjects 
against  him.  After  Leipsic  everything  was  lost;  that 
was  the  signal  of  the  death  struggle,  which  was  to  be 
long,  terrible,  and  full  of  anguish.  Europe  listened 
in  terror  to  the  cries  of  the  dying  Empire.  But  it 
was  all  over.  The  sacred  soil  of  France  was  invaded. 
January  25,  1814,  at  three  in  the  morning,  the  hero 
left  the  Tuileries  to  oppose  the  invaders.  He  kissed 
his  wife  and  his  son  for  the  last  time.  He  was  never 
to  see  them  again.  In  all,  Napoleon  had  passed  only 
two  years  and  eight  months  with  Marie  Louise ;  she 
had  had  hardly  time  enough  to  become  attached  to 
him. 


12  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Napoleon's  sword  was  broken;  he  arrived  before 
Paris  too  late  to  save  the  city,  which  had  just  capitu- 
lated, and  the  foreigners  were  about  to  make  their 
triumphal  entrance.  Could  a  woman  of  twenty-two 
be  strong  enough  to  withstand  the  tempest  ?  Would 
she  be  brave  enough,  could  she  indeed  remain  in  Paris 
without  disobeying  Napoleon?  Was  not  flight  a  duty 
for  the  hapless  sovereign  ?  The  Emperor  had  written 
to  his  brother,  King  Joseph :  "  In  no  case  must  you 
let  the  Empress  and  the  King  of  Rome  fall  into  the 
enemy's  hands.  Do  not  abandon  my  son,  and  remem- 
ber that  I  had  rather  see  him  in  the  Seine  than  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemies  of  France.  The  lot  of  Astya- 
nax,  a  prisoner  among  the  Greeks,  has  always  seemed 
to  me  the  unhappiest  in  history."  But,  alas !  in  spite 
of  the  great  Emperor's  precautions,  the  King  of  Rome 
was  condemned  by  fate  to  be  the  modern  Astyanax, 
and  Marie  Louise  was  not  as  constant  as  Androm- 
ache. 

The  allied  forces  drew  near,  and  there  was  no 
more  time  for  flight.  March  29,  1814,  horses  and 
carriages  had  been  stationed  in  the  Carrousel  since 
the  morning.  At  seven  o'clock  Marie  Louise  was 
dressed  and  ready  to  leave,  but  they  could  not  aban- 
don hope;  they  wished  still  to  await  some  possible 
bit  of  good  news  which  should  prevent  their  leaving, 
—  an  envoy  from  Napoleon,  a  messenger  from  King 
Joseph.  The  officers  of  the  National  Guard  were 
anxious  to  have  the  Empress  stay.  "  Remain,"  they 
urged;  "we  swear  to  defend  you."  Marie  Louise 


INTRODUCTION.  13 


thanked  them  through  her  tears,  but  the  Emperor's 
orders  were  positive ;  on  no  account  were  the  Empress 
and  the  King  of  Rome  to  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands. 
The  peril  grew.  Ever  since  four  o'clock  Marie 
Louise  had  kept  putting  off  the  moment  of  leav- 
ing, in  expectation  that  something  would  turn  up. 
Eleven  struck,  and  the  Minister  of  War  came,  de- 
claring there  was  not  a  moment  to  lose.  One  would 
have  thought  that  the  little  King  of  Rome,  who  was 
just  three  years  old,  knew  that  he  was  about  to  go, 
never  to  return.  "Don't  go  to  Rambouillet,"  he 
cried  to  his  mother ;  "  that's  a  gloomy  castle ;  let  us 
stay  here."  And  he  clung  to  the  banisters,  strug- 
gling with  the  equerry  who  was  carrying  him,  weep- 
ing and  shouting,  "  I  don't  want  to  leave  my  house ; 
I  don't  want  to  go  away ;  since  papa  is  away,  I  am 
the  master."  Marie  Louise  was  impressed  by  this 
childish  opposition ;  a  secret  voice  told  her  that  her 
son  was  right ;  that  by  abandoning  the  capital,  they 
surrendered  it  to  the  Royalists.  But  the  lot  was 
cast,  and  they  had  to  leave.  A  mere  handful  of 
indifferent  spectators,  attracted  by  no  other  feeling 
than  curiosity,  watched  the  flight  of  the  sovereign 
who,  four  years  before,  had  made  her  formal  entrance 
into  this  same  palace  of  the  Tuileries  under  a  trium- 
phal arch,  amid  noisy  acclamations.  There  was  not 
a  tear  in  the  eyes  of  the  few  spectators ;  they  uttered 
no  sound,  they  made  no  movement  of  sympathy  or 
regret;  there  was  only  a  sullen  silence.  But  one 
person  wept,  and  that  was  Marie  Louise.  When  she 


14  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

had  reached  the  Champs  Elysee's,  she  cast  a  last  sad 
glance  at  the  palace  she  was  never  to  see  again.  It 
was  not  a  flight,  but  a  funeral. 

The  Empress  and  the  King  of  Rome  took  refuge 
at  Blois,  where  there  appeared  a  faint  shadow  of 
Imperial  government.  On  Good  Friday,  April  8, 
Count  Shouvaloff  reached  Blois  with  a  detachment 
of  Cossacks,  and  carried  Marie  Louise  and  her  son  to 
Rambouillet,  where  the  Emperor  of  Austria  was  to 
join  them.  What  Napoleon  had  feared  was  soon 
realized. 

April  16,  the  Emperor  of  Austria  was  at  Blois. 
Marie  Louise,  who  two  years  before  had  left  her 
father,  starting  on  her  triumphal  journey  to  Prague, 
amid  all  form  of  splendor  and  devotion,  was  much 
moved  at  seeing  him  again,  and  placed  the  King  of 
Rome  in  his  arms,  as  if  to  reproach  him  for  deserting 
the  child's  cause.  The  grandfather  relented,  but  the 
monarch  was  stern:  did  he  not  soon  say  to  Marie 
Louise :  "  As  my  daughter,  everything  that  I  have  is 
yours,  even  my  blood  and  my  life ;  as  a  sovereign,  I 
do  not  know  you"?  The  Russian  sentinels  at  the 
entrance  of  the  castle  of  Rambouillet  were  relieved 
by  Austrian  grenadiers.  The  Empress  of  the  French 
changed  captors ;  she  was  the  prisoner  no  longer  of 
the  Czar's  soldiers,  but  of  her  own  father.  Her  con- 
jugal affection  was  not  yet  wholly  extinct,  and  she 
reproached  herself  with  not  having  joined  Napoleon 
at  Fontainebleau ;  but  her  scruples  were  soon  allayed 
by  the  promise  that  she  should  soon  see  her  husband 


INTRODUCTION.  15 


again  at  Elba.  She  was  told  that  the  treaty  which 
had  just  been  signed  gave  her,  and  after  her,  her 
son,  the  duchies  of  Parma,  Piacenza,  and  Guastalla ; 
that  the  King  of  Rome  was  henceforth  the  hereditary 
Duke  of  Parma ;  that  if  she  had  duties  as  a  wife,  she 
also  had  duties  as  a  mother ;  that  she  ought  to  gain 
the  good-will  of  the  powers,  and  assure  her  child's 
future.  They  added  that  she  ought  to  give  her 
husband  time  to  establish  himself  at  Elba,  and  that 
meanwhile  she  would  find  in  Vienna,  near  her  loving 
parents,  a  few  weeks  of  moral  and  physical  rest, 
which  must  be  very  necessary  after  so  many  emo- 
tions and  sufferings.  Marie  Louise,  who  had  been 
brought  up  to  give  her  father  strict  obedience, 
regarded  the  advice  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria  as 
commands  which  were  not  to  be  questioned,  and 
April  23  she  left  Rambouillet  with  her  son  for 
Vienna. 

Did  the  dethroned  Empress  carry  away  with  her  a 
pleasant  memory  of  France  and  the  French  people  ? 
We  do  not  think  so ;  and,  to  be  frank,  was  what  had 
just  happened  likely  to  give  her  a  favorable  idea  of 
the  country  she  was  leaving  ?  Could  she  have  much 
love  for  the  people  who  were  fastening  a  rope  to  pull 
down  the  statue  of  the  hero  of  Austerlitz  from  its 
pedestal,  the  VendQme  column?  When  her  father, 
the  Emperor  Francis  I.,  had  been  defeated,  driven 
from  his  capital,  overwhelmed  with  the  blows  of  fate, 
his  misfortunes  had  only  augmented  his  popularity ; 
the  more  he  suffered,  the  more  he  was  loved.  Bufc 


16  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

for  Napoleon,  who  was  so  adored  in  the  day  of  tri- 
umph, how  was  he  treated  in  adversity  ?  What  was 
the  language  of  the  Senate,  lately  so  obsequious  and 
servile  ?  The  men  on  whom  the  Emperor  had  lit- 
erally showered  favors,  called  him  contemptuously 
Monsieur  de  Bonaparte.  What  did  they  do  to  save 
the  crown  of  the  King  of  Rome,  whose  cradle  they 
had  saluted  with  such  noisy  acclamations?  Were 
not  the  Cossacks  who  went  to  Blois  after  the  Em- 
press rapturously  applauded  by  the  French,  in  Paris 
itself,  upon  the  very  boulevards  ?  Did  not  the  mar- 
shals of  the  Empire  now  serve  as  an  escort  to  Louis 
XVIII.  ?  Where  were  the  eagles,  the  flags,  and  the 
tricolored  cockades?  When  Napoleon  was  passing 
through  Provence  on  his  way  to  take  possession  of 
his  ridiculous  realm  of  Elba,  he  was  compelled  to 
wear  an  Austrian  officer's  uniform  to  escape  being 
put  to  death  by  Frenchmen ;  the  imperial  mantle  was 
exchanged  for  a  disguise.  It  is  true  that  Marie 
Louise  abandoned  the  French ;  but  did  not  the  French 
abandon  her  and  her  son  after  the  abdication  of  Fon- 
tainebleau ;  and  if  this  child  did  not  become  Napoleon 
II.,  is  not  the  fault  theirs  ?  And  did  she  not  do  all 
that  could  be  demanded  of  her  as  regent  ?  Can  she 
be  accused  of  intriguing  with  the  Allies ;  and  if  at  the 
last  moment  she  left  Paris,  was  it  not  in  obedience  to 
her  husband's  express  command?  She  might  well 
have  said  what  fifty-six  years  later  the  second  Em- 
peror said  so  sadly  when  he  was  a  prisoner  in  Ger- 
many :  "  In  France  one  must  never  be  unfortunate." 


INTRODUCTION.  17 


What  was  then  left  for  her  to  do  in  that  volcano,  that 
land  which  swallows  all  greatness  and  glory,  amid  that 
fickle  people  who  change  their  opinions  and  passions 
as  an  actress  changes  her  dress  ?  Where  Napoleon, 
with  all  his  genius,  had  made  a  complete  failure, 
could  a  young,  ignorant  woman  be  reasonably  ex- 
pected to  succeed  in  the  face  of  all  Europe  ?  Were 
her  hands  strong  enough  to  rebuild  the  colossal  edi- 
fice that  lay  in  ruins  upon  the  ground  ? 

Such  were  the  reflections  of  Marie  Louise  as  she 
was  leaving  France.  The  moment  she  touched  Ger- 
man soil,  all  the  ideas,  impressions,  feelings  of  her 
girlhood,  came  back  to  her,  and  naturally  enough ;  for 
were  there  not  many  instances  in  the  last  war,  of 
German  women,  married  to  Frenchmen,  who  rejoiced 
in  the  German  successes,  and  of  French  women, 
married  to  Germans,  who  deplored  them  ?  Marriage 
is  but  an  incident;  one's  nature  is  determined  at 
one's  birth.  In  Austria,  Marie  Louise  found  again 
the  same  sympathy  and  affection  that  she  had  left 
there.  There  was  a  sort  of  conspiracy  to  make  her 
forget  France  and  love  Germany.  The  Emperor 
Francis  persuaded  her  that  he  was  her  sole  protector, 
and  controlled  her  with  the  twofold  authority  of  a 
father  and  a  sovereign.  She  who  a  few  days  before 
had  been  the  Empress  of  the  French,  the  Queen  of 
Italy,  the  Regent  of  a  vast  empire,  was  in  her  father's 
presence  merely  a  humble  and  docile  daughter,  who 
told  him  everything,  obeyed  him  in  everything,  who 
abdicated  her  own  free  will,  and  promised,  even 


18  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

swore,  to  entertain  no  other  ideas  or  wishes  than 
such  as  agreed  with  his. 

Nevertheless,  when  she  arrived  at  Vienna,  Marie 
Louise  had  by  no  means  completely  forgotten  France 
and  Napoleon.  She  still  had  Frenchmen  in  her  suite ; 
she  wrote  to  her  husband  and  imagined  that  she 
would  be  allowed  to  visit  him  at  Elba,  but  she  per- 
fectly understood  all  the  difficulties  of  the  double 
part  she  was  henceforth  called  upon  to  play.  She 
felt  that  whatever  she  might  do  she  would  be  severely 
criticised;  that  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  se- 
cure the  approval  of  both  her  father  and  her  husband. 
Since  she  was  intelligent  enough  to  foresee  that  she 
would  be  blamed  by  her  contemporaries  and  by 
posterity,  was  she  not  justified  in  lamenting  her 
unhappy  lot  ?  She,  who  under  any  other  conditions 
would  have  been  an  excellent  wife  and  mother,  was 
compelled  by  extraordinary  circumstances  to  appear 
as  a  heartless  wife  and  an  indifferent  mother.  This 
thought  distressed  Marie  Louise,  who  at  heart  was 
not  thoroughly  contented  with  herself.  She  wrote, 
under  date  of  August  9, 1814 :  "  I  am  in  a  very  un- 
happy and  critical  position  ;  I  must  be  very  prudent 
in  my  conduct.  There  are  moments  when  that  thought 
so  distracts  me  that  I  think  that  the  best  thing  I 
could  do  would  be  to  die." 

When  Napoleon  returned  from  Elba,  the  situation 
of  Marie  Louise,  so  far  from  improving,  became  only 
more  difficult.  She  had  no  illusions  about  the  fate 
that  awaited  her  audacious  husband,  who  was  unable 


INTRODUCTION.  19 


to  contend,  single-handed,  against  all  Europe.  She 
knew  better  than  any  one,  not  only  that  he  had  noth- 
ing to  hope  from  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  his  father- 
in-law,  but  that  in  this  sovereign  he  would  find  a  bit- 
ter, implacable  foe.  As  to  the  Emperor  Alexander, 
he  swore  that  he  would  sacrifice  his  last  ruble,  his 
last  soldier,  before  he  would  consent  to  let  Napoleon 
reign  in  France.  Marie  Louise  knew  too  well  the 
feeling  that  animated  the  Congress  at  Vienna*,  to 
imagine  that  her  husband  had  the  slightest  chance 
of  success.  She  was  convinced  that  by  returning 
from  Elba,  he  was  only  preparing  for  France  a  new 
invasion,  and  for  himself  chains.  Since  she  was  a 
prisoner  of  the  Coalition,  she  was  condemned  to 
widowhood,  even  in  the  lifetime  of  her  husband. 
She  cannot  then  be  blamed  for  remaining  at  Vienna, 
whence  escape  was  absolutely  impossible. 

Marie  Louise  committed  one  great  error ;  that, 
namely,  of  writing  that  inasmuch  as  she  was  entirely 
without  part  in  the  plans  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon, 
she  placed  herself  under  the  protection  of  the  Allies, 
—  Allies  who  at  that  very  moment  were  urging  the 
assassination  of  her  husband,  in  the  famous  declara- 
tion of  March  13,  1815,  in  which  they  said:  "By 
breaking  the  convention,  which  established  him  on 
the  island  of  Elba,  Bonaparte  has  destroyed  the  only 
legal  title  on  which  his  existence  depended.  By  re- 
appearing in  France,  with  plans  of  disturbance  and 
turmoil,  he  has,  by  his  own  act,  forfeited  the  protec- 
tion of  the  laws,  and  has  shown  to  the  world  that 


20  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE, 

there  can  be  no  peace  or  truce  with  him  as  a  party. 
The  Powers  consequently  declare  that  Napoleon  Bon- 
aparte has  placed  himself  outside  of  all  civil  and  so- 
cial relations,  and  that  as  an  enemy  and  disturber  of 
the  world's  peace,  he  exposes  himself  to  public  ven- 
geance." April  16,  at  the  moment  when  the  proces- 
sions designed  to  pray  for  the  success  of  the  Aus- 
trian armies,  were  going  through  the  streets  of 
Vienna  to  visit  the  Cathedral  and  the  principal 
churches,  the  Empress  of  Austria  dared  to  ask  the 
former  Empress  of  the  French  to  accompany  the  pro- 
cessions with  the  rest  of  the  court ;  but  Marie  Louise 
rejected  the  insulting  proposal.  The  6th  of  May 
next,  when  M.  de  Me*neval,  who  was  about  to  return 
to  France,  came  to  bid  farewell  and  to  receive  her 
commands,  she  spoke  to  this  effect  to  the  faithful 
subject  who  was  soon  to  see  Napoleon :  "  I  am  aware 
that  all  relations  between  me  and  France  are  coming 
to  an  end,  but  I  shall  always  cherish  the  memory 
of  my  adopted  home.  .  .  .  Convince  the  Emperor 
of  all  the  good  I  wish  him.  I  hope  that  he  will 
understand  the  misery  of  my  position.  ...  I  shall 
never  assent  to  a  divorce,  but  I  flatter  myself  that 
he  will  not  oppose  an  amicable  separation,  and  that 
he  will  not  bear  any  ill  feeling  towards  me.  .  .  . 
This  separation  has  become  imperative  ;  it  will  in  no 
way  affect  the  feelings  of  esteem  and  gratitude  that  I 
preserve."  Then  she  gave  to  M.  de  Me"neval  a  gold 
snuff-box,  bearing  his  initials  in  diamonds,  as  a  me- 
mento, and  left  him,  to  hide  the  emotion  by  which 
she  was  overcome. 


INTRODUCTION.  21 


Her  emotion  was  not  very  deep,  and  her  tears  soon 
dried.  In  1814  she  had  met  the  man  who  was  to 
make  her  forget  her  duty  towards  her  illustrious  hus- 
band. He  was  twenty  years  older  than  she,  and 
always  wore  a  large  black  band  to  hide  the  scar  of  a 
wound  by  which  he  had  lost  an  eye.  As  diplomatist 
and  as  a  soldier  he  had  been  one  of  the  most  per- 
sistent and  one  of  the  most  skilful  of  Napoleon's 
enemies.  General  the  Count  of  Neipperg,  as  he 
called  himself,  had  been  especially  active  in  per- 
suading two  Frenchmen,  Bernadotte  and  Murat,  to 
take  up  arms  against  France.  Since  1814  he  had 
been  most  devoted  to  Marie  Louise,  and  he  felt  or 
pretended  to  feel  for  her  an  affection  on  which 
she  did  not  fear  to  smile.  She  admitted  him  to 
her  table;  he  became  her  chamberlain,  her  advocate 
at  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  her  prime  minister  in  the 
Duchy  of  Parma,  and  after  Napoleon's  death,  her 
morganatic  husband.  He  had  three  children  by  her,  — 
two  daughters  (one  of  whom  died  young ;  the  other 
married  the  son  of  the  Count  San  Vitale,  Grand  Cham- 
berlain of  Parma)  and  one  son  (who  took  the  title 
of  Count  of  Montenuovo  and  served  in  the  Austrian 
army).  Until  his  death  in  1829  the  Count  of  Neip- 
perg completely  controlled  Marie  Louise,  as  Napoleon 
had  never  done. 

After  Waterloo,  every  day  dimmed  Marie  Louise's 
recollections  of  France.  The  four  years  of  her  reign 
• —  two  spent  in  the  splendor  of  perpetual  adoration, 
two  in  the  gloom  of  disasters  culminating  in  final 


22  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

ruin  —  were  like  a  distant  dream,  half  a  golden  vis- 
ion, half  a  hideous  nightmare.  It  was  all  but  a  brief 
episode  in  her  life.  She  thoroughly  deserved  the  name 
of  "  the  Austrian,"  which  had  been  given  unjustly  to 
Marie  Antoinette ;  for  Marie  Antoinette  really  became 
a  Frenchwoman.  The  Duchess  of  Parma  —  for  that 
was  the  title  of  the  woman  who  had  worn  the  two 
crowns  of  France  and  of  Italy  —  lived  more  in  her 
principality  than  in  Vienna,  more  interested  in  the 
Count  of  Neipperg  than  in  the  Duke  of  Reichstadt. 
While  her  son  never  left  the  Emperor  Francis,  she 
reigned  in  her  little  duchy.  But  the  title  was  to  ex- 
pire at  her  death ;  for  the  Coalition  had  feared  to  per- 
mit a  son  of  Napoleon  to  have  an  hereditary  claim  to 
rule  over  Parma.  Yet  Marie  Louise  cannot  properly 
be  called  a  bad  mother.  She  went  to  close  the  eyes 
of  her  son,  who  died  in  his  twenty-second  year,  of 
consumption  and  disappointment. 

By  this  event  was  broken  the  last  bond  which  at- 
tached Napoleon's  widow  to  the  imperial  traditions. 
In  1833  she  was  married,  for  the  third  time,  to  a 
Frenchman,  the  son  of  an  e'migre',  in  the  Austrian 
service.  He  was  a  M.  de  Bombelles,  whose  mother 
had  been  a  Miss  Mackan,  an  intimate  friend  of  Mad- 
ame Elisabeth,  and  had  married  the  Count  of  Bom- 
belles,  ambassador  of  Louis  XVI.  in  Portugal,  and 
later  in  Venice,  who  took  orders  after  his  wife's  death 
and  became  Bishop  of  Amiens  under  the  Restoration. 
Marie  Louise,  who  died  December  17,  1847,  aged  fif- 
ty-six, lived  in  surroundings  directly  hostile  to  Napo- 


INTRODUCTION.  23 


Icon's  glory.  Her  ideas  in  her  last  years  grew  to 
resemble  those  of  her  childhood,  and  she  was  perpetu- 
ally denouncing  the  principles  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion and  of  the  liberalism  which  pursued  her  even  in 
the  Duchy  of  Parma.  France  has  reproached  her 
with  abandoning  Napoleon,  and  still  more  perhaps 
for  having  given  two  obscure  successors  to  the  most 
famous  man  of  modern  times. 

If  Marie  Louise  is  not  a  very  sympathetic  figure, 
no  story  is  more  touching  and  more  melancholy  than 
that  of  her  son's  life  and  death.  It  is  a  tale  of  hope 
deceived  by  reality ;  of  youth  and  beauty  cut  down 
in  their  flower;  of  the  innocent  paying  for  the 
guilty ;  of  the  victim  marked  by  fate  as  the  expiation 
for  others.  One  might  say  that  he  came  into  the 
world  only  to  give  a  lasting  example  of  the  instabil- 
ity of  human  greatness.  When  he  was  at  the  point 
of  death,  worn  out  with  suffering,  he  said  sadly,  "  My 
birth  and  my  death  comprise  my  whole  history." 
But  this  short  story  is  perhaps  richer  in  instruction 
than  the  longest  reigns.  The  Emperor's  son  will  be 
known  for  many  ages  by  his  three  titles,  —  the  King 
of  Rome,  Napoleon  II.,  and  the  Duke  of  Reichstadt. 
He  had  already  inspired  great  poets,  and  given  to 
philosophers  and  Christians  occasion  for  profound 
thoughts.  His  memory  is  indissolubly  bound  up 
with  that  of  his  father,  and  posterity  will  never  for- 
get him.  Even  those  who  are  most  virulent  against 
Napoleon's  memory,  feel  their  wrath  melt  when  they 
think  of  his  son;  and  when  at  the  Church  of  the 


24  THE  EMPEESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Capuchins,  in  Vienna,  a  monk  lights  with  a  flicker- 
ing torch  the  dark  tomb  of  the  great  captain's  son, 
who  lies  by  the  side  of  his  grandfather,  Francis  II., 
who  was  at  once  his  protector  and  his  jailer,  deep 
thoughts  arise  as  one  considers  the  vanity  of  political 
calculations,  the  emptiness  of  glory,  of  power,  and  of 
genius. 

Poor  boy !  His  birth  was  greeted  with  countless 
thanksgivings,  celebrations,  and  joyous  applause. 
Paris  was  beside  itself  when  in  the  morning  of  March 
20,  1811,  there  sounded  the  twenty-second  report  of 
a  cannon,  announcing  that  the  Emperor  had,  not  a 
daughter,  but  a  son.  He  lay  in  a  costly  cradle  of 
mother-of-pearl  and  gold,  surmounted  by  a  winged 
Victory  which  seemed  to  protect  the  slumbers  of  the 
King  of  Rome.  The  Imperial  heir  in  his  gilded  baby- 
carriage  drawn  by  two  snow-white  sheep  beneath  the 
trees  at  Saint  Cloud  was  a  charming  object.  He  was 
but  a  year  old  when  Gerard  painted  him  in  his  cradle, 
playing  with  a  cup  and  ball,  as  if  the  cup  were  a 
sceptre  and  the  ball  were  the  world,  with  which  his 
childish  hands  were  playing.  When  on  the  eve  of 
the  battle  of  Moskowa,  Napoleon  was  giving  his  final 
orders  for  the  tremendous  struggle  of  the  next  day, 
a  courier,  M.  de  Bausset,  arrived  suddenly  from  Paris, 
bringing  with  him  this  masterpiece  of  Gerard's;  at 
once  the  General  forgot  his  anxieties  in  his  paternal 
joy.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  Napoleon  to  his  officers,  "if 
my  son  were  fifteen  years  old,  you  may  be  sure  that 
he  would  be  here  among  this  multitude  of  brave  men, 


INTRODUCTION.  25 


and  not  merely  in  a  picture."  Then  he  had  the  por- 
trait of  the  King  of  Rome  set  out  in  front  of  his  tent, 
on  a  chair,  that  the  sight  of  it  might  be  an  added 
excitement  to  victory.  And  the  old  grenadiers  of 
the  Imperial  Guard,  the  veterans  with  their  grizzly 
moustaches,  —  the  men  who  were  never  to  abandon 
their  Emperor,  who  followed  him  to  Elba,  and  died 
at  Waterloo,  —  heroes,  as  kind  as  they  were  brave, 
actually  cried  with  joy  as  they  gazed  at  the  portrait 
of  this  boy  whose  glorious  future  they  hoped  to  make 
sure  by  their  brave  deeds. 

But  what  a  sad  future  it  was !  Within  less  than 
two  years  Cossacks  were  the  escort  of  the  King  of 
Rome.  When  the  Coalition  made  him  a  prisoner,  he 
was  forever  torn  from"  his  father.  Napoleon,  March 
20,  1815,  on  this  return  from  Elba,  re-entered  trium- 
phantly the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  as  if  by  miracle, 
but  his  joy  was  incomplete.  March  20  was  his 
son's  birthday,  the  day  he  was  four  years  old,  and 
the  boy  was  not  there ;  his  father  never  saw  him 
again.  At  Vienna  the  little  prince  seemed  the  vic- 
tim of  an  untimely  gloom;  he  missed  his  young 
playmates.  "Any  one  can  see  that  I  am  not  a 
king,"  he  said ;  "  I  haven't  any  pages  now." 

The  King  of  Rome  had  lost  the  childish  merri- 
ment and  the  talkativeness  which  had  made  him 
very  captivating.  So  far  from  growing  familiar  with 
those  among  whom  he  was  thrown,  he  seemed  rather 
to  be  suspicious  and  distrustful  of  them.  During  the 
Hundred  Days  the  private  secretary  of  Marie  Louise 


26  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

left  her  at  Vienna  to  return  to  Napoleon  in  France. 
"  Have  you  any  message  for  your  father  ?  "  he  asked 
of  the  little  prince.  The  boy  thought  for  a  moment, 
and  then,  as  if  he  were  watched,  led  the  faithful  offi- 
cer up  to  the  window  and  whispered  to  him,  very  low, 
"  You  will  tell  him  that  I  always  love  him  dearly." 

In  spite  of  the  many  miles  that  separated  them,  the 
son  was  to  be  a  consolation  to  his  father.  In  1816 
the  prisoner  at  Saint  Helena  received  a  lock  of  the 
young  prince's  hair,  and  a  letter  which  he  had  writ- 
ten with  his  hand  held  by  some  one  else.  Napoleon 
was  filled  with  joy,  and  forgot  his  chains.  It  was  a 
renewal  of  the  happiness  he  had  felt  on  the  eve  of 
Moskowa,  when  he  had  received  the  portrait  of  the 
son  he  loved  so  warmly.  Once  again  he  summoned 
those  who  were  about  him  and,  deeply  moved,  showed 
to  them  the  lock  of  hair  and  the  letter  of  his  child. 

For  his  part,  the  boy  did  not  forget  his  father.  In 
vain  they  gave  him  a  German  title  and  a  German 
name,  and  removed  the  Imperial  arms  with  their 
eagle ;  in  vain  they  expunged  the  Napoleon  from  his 
name,  —  Napoleon,  which  was  an  object  of  terror  to 
the  enemies  of  France.  His  Highness,  Prince  Fran- 
cis Charles  Joseph,  Duke  of  Eeichstadt,  knew  very 
well  that  his  title  was  the  King  of  Rome  and  Napo- 
leon II.  He  knew  that  in  his  veins  there  flowed  the 
blood  of  the  greatest  warrior  of  modern  times.  He 
had  scarcely  left  the  cradle  when  he  began  to  show 
military  tastes.  When  only  five,  he  said  to  Hummel, 
the  artist,  who  was  painting  his  portrait :  "  I  want  to 


INTRODUCTION.  27 


be  a  soldier.  I  shall  fight  well.  I  shall  be  in  the 
charge."  "  But,"  urged  the  artist,  "  you  will  find  the 
bayonets  of  the  grenadiers  in  your  way,  and  they  will 
kill  you  perhaps."  And  the  boy  answered,  "But 
shan't  I  have  a  sword  to  beat  down  the  bayonets  ?  " 
Before  he  was  seven  he  wore  a  uniform.  He  learned 
eagerly  the  manual  of  arms ;  and  when  he  was  re- 
warded by  promotion  to  the  grade  of  sergeant,  he 
was  as  proud  of  his  stripes  as  he  would  have  been  of 
a  throne.  His  father's  career  continually  occupied 
his  thoughts  and  filled  his  imagination  with  a  sort  of 
ecstasy. 

At  Paris  the  fickle  multitude  soon  forgot  the  son 
of  the  Emperor.  In  1820  the  capital  saluted  the 
birth  o*\  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  as  it  had  saluted  that 
of  the  King  of  Rome.  A  close  relationship  united 
the  two  children  who  represented  two  such  distinct 
parties ;  their  mothers  were  first-cousins  on  both 
their  fathers'  and  their  mothers'  side.  The  Duchess 
of  Berry,  mother  of  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux,  was  the 
daughter  of  the  King  of  Naples,  Francis  I.,  son  of 
King  Ferdinand  IV.  and  Queen  Marie  Caroline  ;  and 
her  mother  was  the  Princess  Marie  Clementine, 
daughter  of  the  Emperor  Leopold  II.  The  Emperor 
Francis,  father  of  the  Empress  Marie  Louise,  was 
himself  the  son  of  Leopold  II.;  his  wife  was  Prin- 
cess Marie  The're'se  of  Naples,  daughter  of  Queen 
Marie  Caroline  and  aunt  of  the  Duchess  of  Berry. 
The  King  of  Rome  and  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux  were 
thus  in  two  ways  second-cousins. 


28  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

July  22,  1821,  at  Schoenbrunn,  in  the  same  room 
where,  eleven  years  later,  in  the  same  month  and  on 
the  same  day  of  the  month,  he  was  to  breathe  his  last, 
the  child  who  had  been  the  King  of  Rome  learned 
that  his  father  was  dead.  This  news  plunged  him 
into  deep  grief.  He  had  been  forbidden  the  name  of 
Bonaparte  or  Napoleon,  but  he  was  allowed  to  weep. 
The  Duke  of  Reichstadt  and  his  household  were  al- 
lowed to  wear  mourning  for  the  exile  of  Saint  Helena. 

In  justice  to  the  Emperor  Francis  it  must  be  said 
that  he  showed  great  affection  for  his  grandson, 
whom  he  kept  always  near  him,  in  his  chamber  and 
in  his  study,  and  that  he  hid  from  him  neither  Napo- 
leon's misfortunes  nor  his  successes.  "  I  desire,"  he 
told  Prince  Metternich,  "that  the  Duke  of  Reich- 
stadt shall  respect  his  father's  memory,  that  he  shall 
take  example  from  his  firm  qualities  and  learn  to 
recognize  his  faults,  in  order  to  shun  them  and  be 
on  his  guard  against  their  influence.  Speak  to  the 
prince  about  his  father  as  you  should  like  to  be  spoken 
about  to  your  own  son.  Do  not  hide  anything  from 
him,  but  teach  him  to  honor  his  father's  memory." 
Military  drill,  manoeuvres,  strategy,  the  study  of 
great  generals,  especially  of  Napoleon,  formed  the 
young  prince's  favorite  occupations. 

So  long  as  the  elder  branch  of  the  Bourbons  reigned 
in  France,  the  Duke  of  Reichstadt  never  thought  of 
seizing  his  father's  crown  and  sceptre,  but  the  Rev- 
olution of  1830  suddenly  kindled  all  his  hopes. 
When  he  learned  that  the  tricolored  flag  had  taken 


20 


the  place  of  the  white  one,  and  heard  of  the  enthu- 
siasm that  had  seized  the  French  for  the  men  and 
deeds  of  the  Empire ;  when  he  heard  the  Austrian 
ministers  continually  saying  that  Louis  Philippe  was 
a  mere  usurper  who  could  reign  but  a  short  time ; 
when  his  grandfather,  the  Emperor  Francis,  who  was 
the  incarnation  of  prudence  and  wisdom,  said  to 
him  one  day,  "If  the  French  people  should  want 
you,  and  the  Allies  were  to  give  their  consent,  I 
should  not  oppose  your  taking  your  place  on  the 
French  throne,"  and,  at  another  time,  "You  have 
only  to  show  yourself  on  the  bridge  at  Strasbourg, 
and  it  is  all  up  with  the  Orleans  at  Paris,"  —  the 
Duke  was  carried  away  by  a  feeling  of  ambition, 
patriotism,  and  exaltation.  Born  to  glory,  he  imag- 
ined himself  divinely  summoned  to  a  magnificent 
destiny;  wide  and  brilliant  horizons  opened  before 
him.  His  eager  imagination  was  kindled  by  a  hidden 
flame.  In  his  youthful  dreams  he  saw  himself  re- 
suscitating Poland,  restoring  the  glories  of  the  Em- 
pire. He  prepared  for  the  part  he  was  to  play  by 
studying  with  Marshal  Marmont  the  campaigns  of 
Napoleon.  These  lessons  lasted  three  months,  and 
at  their  end  the  Duke  gave  his  portrait  to  his  father's 
fellow-soldier,  and  copied  beneath  it  four  lines  from 
Racine's  Ph£dre,  in  which  Hippolyte  says  to  The'ra- 
mtme :  — 

"  Having  come  to  me  with  a  sincere  interest, 
You  told  to  me  my  father's  story ; 
You  know  how  my  soul,  attentive  to  your  words, 
Kindled  at  the  recital  of  his  noble  exploits." 


30  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

He  was  as  enthusiastic  for  poetry  as  for  the  mili- 
tary profession.  One  day  his  physician,  Dr.  Malfatti, 
quoted  to  him  two  lines  from  the  author  of  the 
Meditations :  — 

"  Limited  in  his  nature,  infinite  in  his  desires, 
Man  is  a  fallen  god  who  remembers  heaven." 

"  That's  a  fine  thought,"  said  the  young  prince;  "it 
is  as  pleasing  as  it  is  striking.  I  am  sorry  that  I  don't 
know  Lamartine's  poetry."  The  physician  promised 
to  send  him  the  Meditations.  The  next  day  the 
Duke  read  the  volume  aloud ;  his  eyes  moistened  and 
his  voice  broke  when  he  came  to  these  lines  in  which 
the  poet  seemed  to  be  addressing  him :  — 

"  Courage,  fallen  scion  of  a  divine  race ; 
You  carry  your  celestial  origin  on  your  brow ; 
Every  one  who  sees  you,  sees  in  your  eyes 
A  darkened  ray  of  heavenly  splendor." 

And,  indeed,  every  one  recognized  in  him  a  really 
extraordinary  being ;  his  face,  his  gestures,  his  bear- 
ing, all  had  an  imperial  air.  He  seemed  born  to  rule 
in  a  drawing-room  as  well  as  in  a  barracks.  He  was 
admired  as  well  as  loved ;  he  was  a  true  son  of  Caesar, 
born  for  success  in  love  as  well  as  for  glory.  When 
he  appeared  in  the  ball-room,  his  pale  coloring,  his 
lively  expression,  his  military  bearing,  his  proud  but 
quiet  manners,  the  mingled  energy  and  gentleness  of 
his  face,  attracted  every  woman's  eye.  When  he 
appeared  before  his  soldiers,  he  filled  them  with  the 
wildest  enthusiasm.  One  day  when  he  happened  to 


INTRODUCTION.  31 


be  riding  a  fiery  horse  at  the  review  of  his  battalion, 
his  superb  appearance  made  such  an  impression  on 
the  troops  that,  although  they  were  accustomed  to 
maintain  a  profound  silence  in  the  ranks,  they  sud- 
denly broke  out  into  shouts  of  admiration. 

Yet  in  spite  of  all  his  ardor  it  was  only  at  intervals 
that  Napoleon's  son  felt  hopeful.  If  at  one  time  he 
had  confidence  in  his  star,  this  feeling  soon  yielded  to 
deep  depression.  The  brilliant  prospects  evoked  by 
the  events  in  Poland  and  in  France  shone  for  but 
a  moment,  and  then  vanished.  The  court  of  Vienna 
recognized  the  monarchy  of  July.  One  day  some  one 
was  urging  him  to  go  to  a  ball  given  by  Marshal 
Maison,  the  French  minister  at  the  Austrian  court. 
"What  should  I  do,"  he  asked,  "at  the  house  of 
Louis  Philippe's  ambassador?  Has  not  his  govern- 
ment exiled  and  outlawed  me  ?  No  one  there  could 
see  me  without  blushing ;  and  then,  too,  what  would 
my  feelings  be  ?  "  He  became  restless  and  silent,  and 
distrusted  even  his  best  friends.  "  Answer  me,  my 
friend,"  he  said  to  his  confidant,  Count  Prokesch- 
Osten,  "answer  me  this  question,  —  which  is  one  of 
great  importance  to  me  just  now:  What  do  people 
think  of  me  ?  Do  they  see  in  me  any  justification  for 
the  caricatures  which  are  forever  presenting  me  as 
a  creature  of  the  feeblest  intelligence  ?  "  Count  Pro- 
kesch  answered  him :  "  Don't  worry.  Don't  you  ap- 
pear in  public  every  day?  Can  even  the  most  igno- 
rant see  you  and  place  the  slightest  confidence  in  such 
fables,  which  are  invented  by  charlatans  without  the 


MA&W  totriss, 


least  care  for  truth?"  But  the  young  Duke  was  not 
consoled,  and  every  day  he  lost  confidence  in  his 
future.  Once  Count  Prokesch-Osten  found  him  medi- 
tating upon  his  father's  will.  "  The  fourth  paragraph 
of  the  first  article,"  he  said,  "contains  the  guiding 
principle  of  my  life.  There  my  father  bids  me  not  to 
forget  that  I  was  born  a  French  prince."  And  we 
may  be  sure  that  he  never  forgot  it  ;  and  if  he  was  so 
uneasy,  if  he  suffered  keenly,  and  grief  drove  him 
with  startling  rapidity  to  the  tomb,  it  was  because 
he  felt  that  fate  condemned  him  to  live  and  die  an 
Austrian  prince. 

His  overwrought  mind  and  body  soon  made  him  ill. 
He  sought  by  violent  emotions  and  excessive  fatigue 
to  escape  from  the  thoughts  which  were  persecuting 
him  like  spectres,  and  driving  him  to  his  death.  In 
vain  the  physicians  commanded  rest  and  quiet.*  When 
attacked  by  an  incurable  lung  trouble,  he  required 
absolute  repose  :  but  repose  was  torture  ;  he  preferred 
death  as  a  deliverance.  Dr.  Malfatti,  who  took  the 
keenest  interest  in  him,  and  who  was  much  disturbed 
by  his  many  imprudences,  entreated  him  not  to  throw 
away  wantonly  a  life  which  might  be  so  well  and  use- 
fully employed.  "It  is  a  great  pity,  sir,  that  Your 
Highness,"  lie  said,  "can't  change  bodies  as  you 
change  horses,  when  they  are  tired.  I  beg  of  you 
to  notice  that  you  have  a  soul  of  steel  in  a  crystal 
body,  and  that  the  abuse  of  your  will  can  only  be 
pernicious  to  you/' 

The    young   invalid    did  not  listen  to  him:  he 


83 


scarcely  slept;  his  appetite  failed  him;  he  made  no 
account  of  the  weather;  he  rode  the  wildest  horses 
the  longest  distances.  His  chest  and  throat  became 
seriously  affected,  but  it  made  no  difference ;  he  still 
wanted  to  command  at  the  reviews.  His  voice  was 
lost :  soon  he  could  not  even  speak ;  but  his  illness 
did  not  depress,  it  only  annoyed  him.  His  energetic 
character  could  not  accustom  itself  to  the  idea  of 
abandoning  the  struggle.  He  fought  against  suffer- 
ing as  he  had  fought  against  fate.  "Oh!"  he  said, 
"how  I  despise  this  wretched  body  which  cannot 
obey  my  soul! "  Dr.  Malfatti  said,  "  There  seems  to 
be  in  this  unfortunate  young  man  an  active  principle 
impelling  him  to  a  sort  of  suicide ;  reasoning  and 
precaution  are  of  no  avail  against  the  fatality  which 
urges  him  on." 

The  end  drew  near ;  the  completion  of  the  sacri- 
fice approached.  The  victim  did  not  pray  that  the 
cup  might  pass  from  his  lips.  He  ceased  to  struggle 
against  the  inevitable,  and  submitted  to  his  fate,  be- 
coming as  gentle  and  peaceful  as  a  child.  As  the 
earth  left  him,  he  turned  to  heaven.  "  I  understood 
and  felt,"  said  Count  Prokesch-Osten,  "  all  the  sub- 
limity there  is  in  religion,  which  alone  could  throw  a 
light  on  this  man's  path,  through  the  uncertainty  and 
darkness  that  surrounded  him.  .  .  .  Religion  is  our 
staff.  We  can  find  no  surer  support  in  our  journey 
through  the  darkness  of  our  life  on  earth."  He  had 
received  from  the  -Emperor  and  Empress  of  Austria 
a  book  of  prayers,  called  Divine  Harmonies,  which 


34  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

he  read  over  and  over  on  his  bed  of  suffering.  It 
contained  these  words  written  by  his  grandfather's 
hand :  "  In  every  incident  of  your  life,  in  every 
struggle  of  your  soul,  may  God  aid  you  with  His 
light  and  strength ;  this  is  the  most  ardent  wish  of 
your  loving  grandparents."  "  This  book  is  very 
dear  to  me,"  the  prince  said  to  his  friend,  after  a 
serious  talk  on  religious  matters ;  "  those  words,  writ- 
ten by  relatives  whom  I  sincerely  respect  and  thor- 
oughly love,  have  an  inestimable  value  for  me,  and 
yet  I  give  it  to  you.  I  want  what  I  most  value  to 
go  to  you,  in  memory  of  what  seems  to  me  the  most 
important  of  our  conversations." 

When  he  was  dying,  he  wanted  to  gaze  at  the  cru- 
cifix, in  order  not  to  complain  of  his  sad  lot,  dying 
thus  at  the  very  threshold  of  a  career  which  promised 
to  be  brilliant  and  glorious ;  to  go  down  so  early  to 
the  gloomy  tomb  of  the  Hapsburgs  !  To  exchange 
his  glowing  visions  for  this  untimely  end ;  to  find  an 
Austrian  tomb  instead  of  the  throne  of  France !  He 
accepted  his  fate,  but  he  wished  as  few  witnesses  as 
possible  of  his  last  sufferings.  He  did  not  want  to 
show  to  the  world  a  son  of  Napoleon  so  weak  and 
broken.  He  could  scarcely  lift  the  weak,  worn  hand 
which  should  have  wielded  Charlemagne's  sword  and 
sceptre.  "  I  am  so  weak,"  he  said ;  "  I  beg  of  you 
not  to  let  any  one  see  me  in  my  misery  !  "  His  sump- 
tuous cradle  he  had  given  to  the  Imperial  Treasury 
of  Vienna,  which  is  near  the  Church  of  the  Cap- 
uchins, where  he  was  to  be  buried.  "  My  cradle  and 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

my  grave  will  be  near  each  other,"  he  said.  "  My 
birth  and  my  death — that's  my  whole  story."  In  the 
overthrow,  by  lightning,  of  one  of  the  eagles  sur- 
mounting the  palace  of  Schoenbrunn,  the  populace 
saw  a  prophecy  of  the  death  there  of  Napoleon's  son, 
and  in  fact  it  was  there  that  he  died,  in  the  room 
which  his  father  had  occupied  in  1809,  when  possibly 
for  the  first  time  he  thought  of  this  Austrian  mar- 
riage, which  should  —  such  at  least  was  his  dream  — 
guarantee  to  the  Napoleonic  dynasty  unlimited  power 
and  glory.  The  prince  desired  only  one  thing,  —  to 
see  his  mother.  She  came,  and  he  greeted  her  with 
tenderness.  He  had  also  near  him  his  young  and 
beautiful  relative,  the  Archduchess  Sophia,  the 
mother  of  the  present  Emperor  of  Austria.  This 
charming  princess,  who  was  very  fond  of  the  young 
man  who  was  approaching  his  end,  told  him  that 
the  time  had  come  for  him  to  receive  the  last  sac- 
raments. "We  will  pray  together,"  she  said;  "I 
will  pray  for  you,  and  you  shall  pray  for  me  and 
for  my  unborn  child."  The  prince,  consoled  and 
strengthened  by  the  aid  of  religion,  died  in  the 
enjoyment  of  a  firm  faith  and  thorough  piety. 
"  Mother,  mother !  "  were  his  last  words.  General 
Hartmann  said :  "  Having  passed  my  life  on  bat- 
tle-fields, I  have  often  seen  death,  but  I  never  saw 
a  soldier  die  more  bravely."  The  22d  of  July  was 
a  very  momentous  date  in  the  career  of  this  young 
prince.  It  was  July  22,  1818,  that  the  title  of  Duke 
of  Reichstadt  was  substituted  for  his  name  of  Na- 


TSS  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOtflSS. 


poleon  Bonaparte;  July  22,  1821,  he  heard  of  his 
father's  death ;  and  July  22,  1832,  he  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  four  months  and  two  days. 

We  desire  to  make  five  studies  of  the  second  wife 
and  the  son  of  Napoleon  I.  The  first,  which  we  are  now 
beginning,  covers  a  period  of  brilliancy  of  infatuation, 
of  fairy-like  splendor,  which  in  all  its  glow  forms  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  dreadful  shadows  that  fol- 
low. With  the  aid  of  eye-witnesses  whose  memoirs 
abound  with  most  valuable  recollections  —  such  as 
Prince  Metternich,  who  had  the  principal  charge  of 
the  Archduchess's  marriage ;  M.  de  Bausset  and 
General  de  Se*gur,  both  attached  to  the  Emperor 
Napoleon's  household,  so  that  they  saw  him  nearly 
every  day;  Madame  Durand,  the  Empress's  first 
lady-in-waiting ;  Baron  de  Me*neval,  his  private  secre- 
tary —  with  their  aid  we  shall  try  to  recall  the 
brilliant  past,  taking  for  our  motto  that  phrase  of 
Michelet:  "History  is  a  resurrection."  An  excel- 
lent work,  which  deserves  translation,  Von  Helfert's 
Marie  Louise,  ^Empress  of  the  French,  throws  a  great 
deal  of  light  on  the  early  years  of  the  mother  of  the 
King  of  Rome.  In  the  archives  of  the  Ministers  of 
Foreign  Affairs  —  thanks  to  the  intelligent  and  lib- 
eral control  which  facilitates  historic  research  —  we 
have  found  a  great  number  of  curious  documents 
which  had  never  been  published,  such  as  letters  writ- 
ten to  Napoleon  by  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of 
Austria,  and  despatches  from  his  ambassador  at 
Vienna,  Count  Otto.  This  first  study  will  carry 


INTRODUCTION.  37 


us  to  the  beginning  of  the  Russian  campaign,  that 
glorious  period  when  the  unheard-of  prosperity 
promised  to  be  eternal.  No  darker  night  was  ever 
preceded  by  a  more  brilliant  sun.  Napoleon  said  on 
the  rock  of  Saint  Helena  :  "  Marie  Louise  had  a  short 
reign ;  but  she  must  have  enjoyed  it ;  the  world  was 
at  her  feet." 


EARLY   YEARS. 

MARIE  LOUISE,  Archduchess  of  Austria,  Em- 
press of  the  French,  Queen  of  Italy,  after- 
wards Duchess  of  Parma,  Piacenza,  and  Guastalla, 
was  born  in  Vienna,  December  12, 1791,  the  daughter 
of  Archduke  Francis,  Prince  Imperial,  who  a  year 
later  became  Emperor  of  Germany  under  the  name 
of  Francis  II.,  and  of  Marie  The're'se,  Princess  of 
Naples,  daughter  of  King  Ferdinand  IV.  and  Queen 
Marie  Caroline. 

Marie  Louise's  father  was  born  February  12,  1768, 
a  year  and  a  half  earlier  than  the  Emperor  Napoleon. 
He  was  the  grandson  of  the  great  Empress  Marie 
The'rese,  and  son  of  the  Emperor  Leopold  II.,  who 
was  the  brother  of  the  Queen  of  France,  Marie 
Antoinette,  and  whom  he  succeeded  March  1,  1792; 
his  mother  was  a  Spanish  princess,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  III.  of  Spain.  He  had  four  wives.  He  was 
an  excellent  husband,  but  his  family  affections  were 
so  strong  that  he  could  not  remain  a  widower.  In 
1788  he  married  his  first  wife,  Princess  Elizabeth 
Wilhelmina  Louisa  of  Wurtemberg,  who  died  Febru- 

39 


40  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

ary  17,  1790,  in  giving  birth  to  a  daughter  who  lived 
but  six  months.  The  same  year  he  married  by  proxy 
at  Naples,  August  15,  and  September  19  in  person 
at  Vienna,  the  young  Neapolitan  princess  Marie 
The're'se,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  IV.  and  of  Marie 
Caroline,  who  ruled  over  the  Two  Sicilies. 

The  young  princess,  who  was  born  June  6,  1772, 
was  then  eighteen  years  old.  She  was  kind,  virtu- 
ous, and  well  educated,  and  her  influence  at  the 
court  of  Vienna  was  most  excellent.  Her  mother, 
who  during  her  reign  of  thirty-six  years  endured 
many  trials  and  exhibited  great  qualities  as  well  as 
great  faults,  was  a  remarkable  woman. 

Marie  Caroline,  the  Queen  of  Naples,  was  ener- 
getic to  excess,  courageous  to  the  point  of  heroism ; 
she  believed  that  severity  and  sometimes  even  cruelty 
was  demanded  of  a  sovereign ;  her  religion  amounted 
to  superstition,  her  love  of  authority  to  despotism; 
she  alternated  between  passionate  devotion  to  pleas- 
ure and  earnest  zeal  for  her  duty ;  she  was  ardent  in 
her  affections  and  implacable  in  resentment,  intense 
in  her  joys  and  in  her  sorrows;  she  was  often  an 
unwise  queen,  but  as  a  mother  she  was  beyond  re- 
proach. Like  the  matrons  of  antiquity  and  her  illus- 
trious mother,  the  Empress  Marie  The'rese,  she  was 
proud  of  her  large  family ;  she  had  no  fewer  than  sev- 
enteen children,  and  political  cares  never  prevented 
her  actively  and  intelligently  caring  for  their  moral 
and  physical  welfare.  If  she  had  not  the  happiness 
of  seeing  them  all  grow  up,  those  who  survived  were 


EARLY   YEARS.  41 


yet  the  constant  object  of  her  tender  solicitude.  She 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  .education  of  her  two 
sons,  the  Duke  of  Calabria  and  the  Prince  of  Sa- 
lerno, and  still  more  in  that  of  her  five  daughters : 
Marie  The'rese,  the  wife  of  the  Emperor  Francis  II. ; 
Marie  Louise,  who  married  the  Archduke  Ferdinand, 
Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany;  Marie  Christine,  wife  of 
Charles  Felix,  Duke  of  Genoa,  later  King  of  Sar- 
dinia; Marie  Ame'lie,  Duchess  of  Orleans,  then 
Queen  of  France  ;  Marie  Antoinette,  first  wife  of  the 
Prince  of  Asturias,  later  Ferdinand  VII.,  King  of 
Spain. 

Marie  Caroline  was  very  fond  of  her  eldest  daugh- 
ter, Marie  The'rese ;  and  when  the  princess  had,  in 
1790,  married  the  Archduke  Francis,  two  years 
later  Emperor  of  Germany,  the  mother  and  daughter 
kept  up  an  active  and  affectionate  correspondence 
in  French.  They  were  forever  consulting  each 
other  about  their  babies,  which  were  born  at  about 
the  same  time.  When  the  daughter  had  given  birth 
to  her  first  child,  the  future  French  Empress,  the 
Queen  congratulated  her  most  warmly :  "  I  congratu- 
late you  on  your  courage.  I  am  sure  that  when 
you  look  at  your  baby,  which  I  hear  is  large,  sturdy, 
and  strong,  that  you  forget  all  that  you  have  been 
through."  Scarcely  was  this  child  born  than  the 
Queen,  who  was  most  anxious  to  have  a  number 
of  descendants,  besought  her  daughter  to  give  the 
Archduchess  Marie  Louise  a  little  brother.  April 
17,  1793,  there  was  bprn  an  Archduke  Ferdinand, 


42  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

later  Emperor  of  Germany ;  and  his  grandmother, 
Queen  Marie  Caroline,  wrote  :  "  I  wept  for  joy ! 
Thank  Heaven  for  the  birth  of  this  boy !  "  Indeed, 
the  wife  of  the  Emperor  Francis  II.  followed  her- 
mother's  example  with  regard  to  her  own  children. 
Her  eldest  daughter,  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise, 
she  educated  most  carefully.  The  little  princess, 
who  had  a  most  amiable  disposition,  was  an  eager 
student,  and  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  French, 
English,  Italian,  drawing,  and  music.  She  was  brought 
up  to  respect  religion  and  to  detest  revolutionary 
ideas. 

Her  grandmother,  Queen  Marie  Caroline,  who  in 
1800  came  to  visit  the  Austrian  court  and  stayed 
there  two  years,  had  many  conversations  with  Marie 
Louise,  which  certainly  were  unlikely  to  inspire  her 
with  any  taste  for  the  French  Revolution  or  for 
General  Bonaparte.  It  is  easy  to  understand  how 
extremely  the  high-spirited  and  haughty  Queen  of 
the  Two  Sicilies  must  have  been  distressed  and  re- 
volted by  the  sufferings  and  death  of  her  sister, 
Marie  Antoinette.  There  was  something  very  sol- 
emn in  the  way  in  which  she  told  her  children  what 
took  place  in  Paris  October  16,  1793.  She  had  them 
all  summoned.  They  found  her  dressed  in  deep 
black,  with  tears  in  her  eyes;  and  she  led  them 
without  a  word  to  the  chapel  in  the  royal  palace  of 
Naples,  and  there,  before  the  altar,  she  told  them  that 
the  people  of  regicides  had  just  put  their  aunt  to 
death  m>on  the  scaffold.  Then  she  bade  them  all  to 


EARLY   TEARS.  43 


pray  together  for  the  peace  of  the  victim's  soul,  and 
probably  there  mingled  with  Marie  Caroline's  prayer 
thoughts  of  wrath  and  vengeance.  From  that  time 
she  waged  against  the  principles  and  the  spread  of 
the  Revolution  a  relentless,  implacable  war,  of  vary- 
ing result,  which  filled  her  more  and  more  with  de- 
testation of  the  new  France.  On  the  occasion  of 
Bonaparte's  expedition  to  Egypt,  she  deemed  the 
time  ripe  for  a  general  uprising  in  Italy  against  the 
French.  But  Championnet  had  taken  possession  of 
Naples  when  the  Parthenopean  Republic  had  been 
proclaimed,  and  the  Queen  had  been  obliged,  with 
her  family,  to  take  refuge  at  Palermo. 

In  the  next  year,  1799,  the  conditions  of  things 
changed ;  and  while  Milan  was  recovered  by  Austria, 
and  the  Russian  army,  led  by  Suwarow,  completed 
the  expulsion  of  the  French  from  Northern  and 
Southern  Italy,  the  Parthenopean  Republic  expired, 
and  the  Bourbon  flag  waved  once  more  over  the 
walls  of  Naples. 

Early  in  1800  the  French  cause  seemed  forever 
lost  in  Italy;  General  Masse'na  alone  held  out  at 
Genoa.  Queen  Marie  Caroline  had  triumphed ;  and 
she  conceived  the  plan  of  going  to  Austria  to  visit 
her  daughter,  the  Empress,  and  to  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  her  grandchildren,  whom  she  had  never 
seen,  and  at  the  same  time  to  demand  an  enlarge- 
ment of  her  territory  in  return  for  the  sacrifices  of 
the  Kingdom  of  the  Two  Sicilies  in  behalf  of  the 
common  cause  of  the  crowned  heads  and  the  Pope. 


44  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

She  set  sail  from  Palermo,  June  9,  1800,  with  her 
second  son,  the  Prince  of  Salerno,  and  her  three 
unmarried  daughters,  Marie  Christine,  Marie  Amelie, 
and  Marie  Antoinette. 

The  ideas,  the  feelings,  the  principles,  the  preju- 
dices, the  hates,  the  hopes,  the  interests,  of  Queen 
Marie  Caroline  were  the  same  as  those  of  her  son-in- 
law,  the  Emperor,  of  her  daughter,  the  Empress,  and 
of  her  other  daughter,  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Tus- 
cany. At  Vienna  she  found  the  same  political  feel- 
ings as  at  Naples.  On  her  way  thither  she  had  a 
great  joy,  —  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  the  French 
at  Genoa,  which  caused  her  to  utter  cries  of  delight ; 
and  a  great  sorrow,  —  the  tidings  of  the  Austrian 
defeat  at  Marengo,  which  was  such  a  blow  that  she 
fell  unconscious  and  narrowly  escaped  dying  of  apo- 
plexy. We  may  readily  understand  the  influence 
which  a  woman  of  this  character  must  have  had  on 
the  mind  of  her  daughter,  the  Empress  of  Germany, 
and  of  her  granddaughter,  the  future  Empress  of  the 
French.  Doubtless  the  young  Marie  Louise  would 
have  been  much  astonished  if  any  one  had  prophesied 
to  her  that  she  would  marry  this  Bonaparte  who  was 
represented  to  her  as  a  monster.  Marie  Caroline  did 
not  leave  Schoenbrunn  to  return  to  her  own  kingdom 
until  July  29,  1802.  For  two  years  she  had  worked 
persistently  and  not  without  success,  to  augment,  if 
that  was  possible,  the  detestation  which  the  court, 
the  aristocracy,  and  the  whole  Austrian  people  felt 
for  France  and  French  ideas, 


EARLY  YEARS.  45 


When  Marie  Louise  was  a  child,  and  with  her  little 
brothers  and  sisters  used  to  play  with  toy-soldiers, 
the  ugliest,  blackest,  and  most  repulsive  of  them  was 
always  picked  out  and  called  Bonaparte,  and  this  one 
they  used  to  prick  with  pins  and  denounce  in  every 
way. 

The  war  of  1805,  which  brought  Austria  to  the 
brink  of  ruin,  added  to  the  Archduchess's  instinctive 
repulsion  for  Napoleon.  At  Vienna  the  panic  was 
extreme  ;  the  Imperial  family  was  obliged  to  flee  in 
different  directions.  Marie  Louise  was  only  fourteen 
years  old,  and  she  was  already  learning  bitter  lessons 
at  the  school  of  experience.  Seeking  shelter  in 
Hungary,  and  afterwards  in  Galicia,  she  prayed  most 
warmly  for  the  success  of  the  Austrians.  She  wrote  : 
"  Papa  must  be  finally  successful,  and  the  time  must 
come  when  the  usurper  will  lose  heart.  Perhaps  God 
has  let  him  go  so  far  to  make  his  ruin  more  complete 
when  He  shall  have  abandoned  him."  November  21, 
1805,  a  few  days  before  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  she 
wrote  a  letter  to  her  governess's  husband,  Count 
Colloredo,  in  which  she  said :  "  God  must  be  very 
wroth  with  us,  since  He  punishes  us  so  sorely.  Per- 
haps at  this  very  moment  there  is  living  in  one  of 
our  rooms  at  Schoenbrunn  one  of  those  generals  who 
are  as  treacherous  as  cats.  Our  family  is  all  scat- 
tered: my  dear  parents  are  at  Olmiitz  ;  we  are  at 
Kaschan ;  there  is  a  third  colony  at  Ofen." 

Every  sort  of  misfortune  combined  to  smite  this 
suffering  family.  While  the  Emperor  Francis  was 


46  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

losing  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  his  wife,  who  was 
in  Silesia,  with  only  one  of  her  children,  the  little 
Archduchess  Leopoldine,  who  was  born  in  1797  and 
was  not  yet  eight  years  old,  fell  seriously  ill  with 
the  measles,  and  dreaded  giving  the  disease  to  her 
little  girl.  "  The  only  thing  which  would  make 
death  terrible,"  she  wrote  to  her  husband,  "  would  be 
to  die  without  seeing  you  again.  .  .  .  Do  not  take  a 
step  that  will  injure  you  or  the  country.  Only  don't 
let  me  be  taken  to  France."  Nothing  disturbed  her 
so  much  as  the  dread  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  The  details  which  her  husband  wrote  to  her 
about  his  interview  with  Napoleon  did  not  allay  her 
uneasiness.  "  I  have  been  as  happy,"  he  wrote,  "  as 
I  could  hope  to  be  with  a  conqueror  who  holds  pos- 
session of  a  large  part  of  my  kingdom.  "With  regard 
to  his  treatment  of  me  and  mine,  he  has  been  very 
kind.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  he  is  not  a  Frenchman." 
Thus  the  Emperor  Francis  ascribed  to  Napoleon's 
Italian  birth  the  politeness  with  which  the  hero  of 
Austerlitz  treated  him.  Does  not  this  simple  state- 
ment suffice  to  show  in  what  esteem  the  German  sov- 
ereign held  France  and  the  French  character  ? 

The  Imperial  family  was  at  last  reunited  in  Vienna, 
after  many  vicissitudes,  early  in  1806.  But  a  new 
misfortune  awaited  them  the  following  year.  The 
Empress,  whose  health  was  already  delicate,  had  a 
miscarriage  April  9, 1807,  and  a  pleurisy  which  seized 
her  carried  her  off  in  four  days,  in  due  odor  of  sanctity, 
after  she  had  given  her  blessing  to  Marie  Louise  and 


EARLY  YEARS.  47 


the  rest  of  her  children.  She  was  only  thirty-five. 
The  untimely  death  of  the  amiable  and  virtuous  prin- 
cess, whose  gayety  and  kindness  had  been  the  life 
and  delight  of  the  court,  plunged  her  whole  family 
into  deep  grief. 

The  Emperor  Francis  was  an  excellent  husband, 
but  he  was  not  an  inconsolable  widower.  April  13, 
1807,  he  lost  his  second  wife ;  but  less  than  nine  months 
afterwards,  January  6,  1808,  he  married  his  young 
cousin,  Marie  Louise  Beatrice  of  Este,  daughter  of 
the  late  Archduke  Ferdinand  of  Modena.  This  prin- 
cess, who  was  born  December  14,  1787,  was  very 
short,  but  attractive  in  appearance  and  of  an  excellent 
character.  Her  disposition  was  pleasant  and  her 
intelligence  acute,  but  she  was  not  the  woman  to 
give  Marie  Louise  any  taste  for  France  or  the  French ; 
for  if  in  all  Europe  there  was  a  princess  who  utterly 
detested  the  French  Revolution  and  all  its  works,  it 
was  the  third  wife  of  Francis  II. 

The  new  Empress  was  but  four  years  older  than 
her  step-daughter,  Marie  Louise,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  she  looked  much  more  like  the  sister  than 
the  step-mother  of  the  young  Archduchess,  who  wac 
then  in  her  seventeenth  year.  Nevertheless,  the  Em- 
press took  hold  of  the  princess's  education  with  a  high 
hand,  and  displayed  as  much  solicitude  as  if  she  had 
been  her  real  mother. 


II. 

1809. 

Emperor  Francis  was  not  without  distrac- 
_JL  tions  during  his  honeymoon  with  his  third 
wife,  the  young  Empress,  Marie  Louise  Beatrice.  It 
was  evident  to  every  one  that  the  Peace  of  Pres- 
bourg,  like  that  of  LuneVille,  could  be  nothing  more 
than  a  truce.  Austria  could  never  be  reconciled  to 
its  loss,  between  1792  and  1806,  of  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, Suabia,  Milan,  the  Venetian  States,  Tyrol,  Dal- 
matia,  and  finally  of  the  Imperial  crown  of  Germany ; 
for  the  heir  of  the  Germanic  Caesars  now  styled  him- 
self simply  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  a  great  part 
of  Germany  had  become  the  humble  vassal  of  Napo- 
leon. Of  all  the  Austrians,  it  was  perhaps  the 
Emperor  who  felt  the  least  hatred  of  France.  His 
whole  family  and  his  whole  people  —  nobles,  priests, 
the  middle  classes,  and  the  peasantry  —  nourished 
an  angiy  resentment  against  the  nation  that  was 
overturning  Europe.  The  new  Empress,  whose  fam- 
ily had  been  deprived  of  the  Duchy  of  Modena,  was 
onspicuous  for  the  bitterness  of  her  indignation  and 
of  her  political  feelings.  In  the  eyes  of  all  the  Aus- 
48 


180S.  49 

trians,  great  or  small,  poor  or  rich,  the  French  were 
the  hereditary  enemies,  the  invaders,  the  destroyers 
of  the  throne  and  the  Church,  impious,  sacrilegious, 
revolutionary,  —  the  authors  of  every  evil.  It  was 
they  who,  for  years,  destroyed  the  harvests,  shed 
torrents  of  blood,  smote  with  the  sword  or  the  axe  of 
the  guillotine,  crowded  war  upon  war,  heaped  ruins 
upon  ruins,  bringing  misery  and  disgrace  to  all  man- 
kind. The  old  nobility,  once  so  proud  of  its  coats- 
of-arms  and  of  its  sovereign  rights,  now  enslaved, 
humiliated,  shorn  of  its  independence,  knew  no  limit 
to  its  abuse  of  the  "  Corsican  savage,"  who  had  cut 
the  roots  of  the  old  Germanic  tree,  previously  so 
majestic.  The  priests  denounced  the  nation  which 
had  dared  to  confiscate  the  patrimony  of  Saint  Peter, 
and  they  cursed  in  Napoleon  the  persecutor  of  the 
Holy  Vicar  of  Christ.  Wom3n  who  had  lost  their 
husbands  or  sons  in  the  war  held  France  responsible 
for  their  afflictions.  The  Frenchmen,  overthrowing 
and  despoiling  everything,  foes  of  the  human  race, 
the  enemies  of  morality  and  religion,  brought  suffer- 
ing to  princes  in  their  palaces,  to  workmen  in  their 
factories,  to  tradespeople  in  their  shops,  to  the 
priests  in  their  churches,  to  the  soldiers  in  their 
camps,  to  the  peasants  in  their  huts.  The  war  of 
wrath  was  irresistible.  Every  one  lamented  the  mis- 
take that  had  been  made  in  abandoning  the  struggle  ; 
all  felt  that  they  should  have  fought  to  the  end,  at 
the  cost  of  every  man  and  every  florin ;  that  a  mis- 
take had  been  made  in  not  assisting  Prussia  at  the 


50  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

time  of  the  campaign  of  Jena ;  and  that  the  moment 
had  come  for  all  the  powers  to  combine  against  the 
common  foe  and  to  crush  him.  Did  he  make  any 
pretence  of  concealing  his  intention  to  overthrow 
every  throne,  and  to  make  himself  the  oldest  sover- 
eign ?  Had  he  not  had  the  insolence  to  say  at  Milan 
in  1805,  to  the  Prince  of  Cardito,  the  Neapolitan 
envoy  extraordinary,  "  Tell  your  Queen  that  I  shall 
leave  to  her  and  her  family  only  enough  land  for 
their  graves "  ?  Had  he  not  recently,  under  the 
walls  of  Madrid,  uttered  these  significant  words  to 
the  Spaniards,  "  If  you  don't  want  my  brother 
Joseph  for  king,  I  shall  not  force  him  upon  you.  I 
have  another  throne  for  him ;  and  as  for  you,  I  shall 
treat  you  as  a  conquered  country "  ?  This  other 
throne,  it  was  said  at  Vienna,  this  throne  which 
Napoleon  did  not  name,  must  be  the  throne  of  the 
Emperor  Francis  II.  himself.  Already  the  Imperial 
crown  of  Germany  had  been  lost,  and  the  Austrian 
crown  was  threatened.  But,  added  all  the  arch- 
dukes and  officers,  that  would  not  be  so  easy  as  the 
French  imagined,  and  they  would  get  a  good  lesson. 
The  Hapsburgs  were  not  so  compliant  as  the  Spanish 
Bourbons,  and  the  Bayonne  ambush  could  not  be 
repeated.  All  Europe  was  thrilling  with  indigna- 
tion ;  only  a  signal  was  needed  for  it  to  rise,  and 
this  signal  Austria  would  give.  This  time  there  was 
every  chance  of  success.  Their  cry  was  "  Victory  or 
Death ! "  but  victory  was  certain.  The  French  army, 
scattered  from  the  Oder  to  the  Tagus,  from  the 


1809.  51 

mountains  of  Bohemia  to  the  Sierra  Morena,  would 
not  be  able  to  withstand  so  many  people  eager  to 
break  their  yoke.  Were  not  Russia  and  Prussia  as 
desirous  as  Austria  of  revenge  ?  Was  not  the  whole 
of  Germany  ready  for  the  fray  ?  Napoleon  boasted 
that  he  was  the  Protector  of  the  Confederation  of 
the  Rhine ;  but  if  the  Confederate  Princes  were  under 
his  command,  in  his  pay,  the  people,  more  patriotic, 
more  truly  German  than  their  rulers,  burned  with  a 
longing  to  expel  the  French.  Let  Napoleon  suffer 
but  a  single  defeat,  and  then  on  which  one  of  his  vas- 
sals would  he  be  able  to  count  ?  Could  he  even  rely 
on  his  own  subjects  ?  Were  there  not  already  in  his 
overgrown  Empire  many  germs  of  decay  and  death  ? 
In  Vienna  in  1809  the  same  things  were  said  as  in 
Berlin  in  1806 ;  the  same  feelings  prevailed.  The 
military  ardor  had  grown  so  intense  that  the  greatest 
soldier  of  Austria,  the  Archduke  Charles,  was  looked 
upon  as  too  cool,  too  moderate,  and  those  who  were 
eager  to  begin  the  fight  called  this  bold  warrior,  this 
famous  general,  the  "  Prince  of  Peace."  Even  if  he 
had  wished  it,  the  Emperor  Francis  would  not  have 
been  able  to  calm  the  warlike  fever  of  his  army  and 
his  people. 

The  musketry  and  the  cannon  would  have  fired 
themselves  without  waiting  for  war  to  be  declared. 
The  Landwehr,  which  had  been  organized  only  a  few 
months,  was  impatient  to  cross  swords  with  the  vet- 
erans of  the  French  army.  Volunteers  enlisted  in 
crowds  ;  patriotic  gifts  abounded.  A  story  was  told 


52  T8E  EMPltESS  MAHlE  LOUISE. 

of  a  cobbler  who,  in  despair  at  not  being  permitted  to 
join  the  army,  blew  out  his  brains.  Youths  wished 
to  leave  school  in  order  to  serve.  All  classes  of 
society  rivalled  one  another  in  zeal,  courage,  and  self- 
sacrifice.  "When  it  was  known  that  the  Archduke 
Charles  had  been  appointed  commander-in-chief,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1809,  there  was  an  outburst  of  confidence 
from  one  end  of  the  Empire  to  the  other.  March  9, 
the  Archbishop  of  Vienna  solemnly  blessed  in  the 
Cathedral  the  flags  of  the  Viennese  Landwehr.  To- 
gether with  the  other  members  of  the  Imperial  family, 
the  young  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  was  present  at 
this  patriotic  and  religious  ceremony.  Could  she 
have  imagined  that  one  year  later,  to  the  delight  of 
the  vast  majority  of  this  same  populace  of  Vienna, 
she  was  to  become  the  wife  of  this  Napoleon  who 
then  was  calling  forth  such  violent  wrath  and  deep 
hatred  ? 

Never  was  there  such  a  terrible  war ;  never  perhaps 
had  the  world  seen  such  slaughter.  April  8,  1809, 
the  Emperor  Francis  left  his  capital,  leaving  there 
his  wife  and  children,  who  were  not  able  to  stay  there 
after  the  fifth  of  May.  From  Vienna  the  Archduchess 
Marie  Louise  wrote  frequently  to  her  father.  A 
rumor  had  spread  that  the  battle  of  Eckmiihl  had 
been  a  brilliant  victory  for  the  Austrians,  and  Marie 
Louise  wrote  to  her  father,  April  25:  "We  have 
heard  with  delight  that  Napoleon  was  present  at  the 
great  battle  which  the  French  lost.  May  he  lose  his 
head  as  well !  There  are  a  great  many  prophecies 


1809.  53 

about  his  speedy  end,  and  people  say  that  the  Apoca- 
lypse applies  to  him.  They  maintain  that  he  is  going 
to  die  this  year  at  Cologne,  in  an  inn  called  the 
'  Red  Crawfish.'  I  do  not  attach  much  importance 
to  these  prophecies,  but  how  glad  I  should  be  to  see 
them  come  true ! "  These  sentiments,  it  must  bo 
confessed,  are  a  singular  preparation  for  the  next 
year's  wedding. 

When  the  Empress  of  Austria  was  compelled  to 
leave  Vienna  with  her  children  at  the  approach  of 
the  enemy,  she  had  more  the  appearance  of  an  exile 
than  of  a  sovereign.  She  was  very  ill  at  the  time, 
and  scarcely  able  to  support  the  jolting  of  her  car- 
riage, and  she  groaned  continually,  as  much  from  her 
moral  as  from  her  physical  sufferings.  "  It  is  horri- 
ble," said  Marie  Louise,  "  to  see  her  suffer  so."  It 
rained  in  torrents,  and  the  thunder  roared  as  if  to 
foretell  all  the  misfortunes  which  were  about  to 
overwhelm  the  country.  The  roads,  made  still  worse 
by  the  bad  weather,  were  abominable.  When  the 
fugitives  reached  Buda,  after  a  long  and  difficult 
journey,  they  were  wet  through,  and  nearly  worn  out 
with  fatigue. 

The  illusions  of  the  Imperial  family  were  speedily 
destroyed  by  the  harsh  reality.  Vienna  surrendered 
May  12,  after  suffering  severely.  In  a  few  hours 
eighteen  hundred  shells  had  fallen  in  the  city.  The 
streets  were  narrow,  the  houses  high,  and  the  popu- 
lace crowded  within  the  narrow  fortifications  were 
terrified  and  infuriated  at  the  sight  of  the  damage 

w  v 


54  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

caused  by  the  shells,  which  started  fires  in  every  di- 
rection. Who  would  have  said  to  the  Viennese  who 
were  then  hurling  all  manner  of  imprecations  at 
Napoleon,  the  author  of  their  woes,  that  in  ten 
months  later  they  would  be  singing  the  praise  of  this 
detested  Emperor,  and  would  be  voluntarily  setting 
French  flags  in  their  windows  as  symbols  of  friend- 
ship ?  May  13, 1809,  the  French,  under  the  command 
of  General  Oudinot,  entered  Vienna,  amid  the  curses 
and  execrations  of  the  populace  beside  itself  with 
grief ;  and  ten  months  later  to  a  day,  March  13, 1810, 
the  same  populace,  joyous  and  peaceful,  with  bells 
ringing  and  cannon  saluting,  blessed  and  applauded 
an  archduchess  who  was  leaving  Vienna  to  share 
this  same  Napoleon's  throne  ! 

But  meanwhile  there  were  many  horrors,  and  much 
blood  was  shed.  The  artillery  duel  was  most  formi- 
dable ;  there  was  no  limit  to  the  fury  and  obstinacy  of 
the  two  combatants.  It  was  a  war  of  giants  in  which 
all  the  infernal  powers  appeared  to  be  let  loose  at 
once.  Napoleon  himself,  familiar  as  he  was  with 
scenes  of  carnage,  was  surprised  by  the  bitterness  of 
the  struggle.  Never  had  he  defied  fortune  with  such 
audacity.  Neglecting  the  usual  laws  of  military 
science,  he  fought  for  twenty-four  hours  without  ces- 
sation, on  a  line  only  three  leagues  long,  having  in 
his  rear  one  of  the  largest  rivers  in  Europe.  Wagram 
was  a  victory,  but  a  victory  hotly  disputed.  When 
at  the  opening  of  the  campaign  it  was  thought  that 
events  would  take  a  turn  favorable  to  Austria,  a 


1809.  55 

thrill  of  hope,  a  movement  of  joy,  ran  through  all  the 
European  nations,  which  showed  the  conqueror  what 
would  have  happened  if  he  had  been  beaten.  He 
began  to  long  for  peace  as  ardently  as  he  had  longed 
for  war.  He  no  longer  thought  of  making  Austria, 
Hungary,  and  Bohemia  three  separate  kingdoms,  or 
of  dethroning  the  Emperor  Francis,  and  putting  in 
his  place  his  brother,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wiirzburg, 
formerly  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany.  The  Aus- 
trians,  for  whom  he  had  felt  a  certain  contempt,  now 
inspired  him  with  profound  esteem ;  he  admired  their 
bravery,  and  especially  the  fidelity,  of  which  they  had 
given  many  touching  proofs,  to  their  unfortunate 
ruler.  The  hero  of  Wagram  said  to  himself  that  if 
instead  of  gaining  this  battle  he  had  lost  it,  he  would 
not  have  gone  back  to  the  Tuileries  as  easily  as  Fran- 
cis was  going  back  to  his  palace  in  Vienna.  An 
Emperor  of  Austria  could  be  beaten  and  retain  his 
popularity;  but  he,  the  great  Napoleon,  could  not. 
That  was  the  reflection  which  was  made  one  day 
by  his  successor,  himself  a  prisoner  of  Prussia,  "  In 
France  one  cannot  be  unfortunate." 

When  the  negotiations  began  to  arrange  peace, 
Napoleon  treated  the  two  distinguished  officers,  Prince 
John  of  Lichtenstein  and  General  von  Bubna,  with 
the  utmost  courtesy.  He  spared  no  pains  to  show  his 
personal  esteem  and  to  flatter  their  national  pride; 
he  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  Austrian  army 
and  of  the  bravery  it  had  displayed  in  the  last  cam- 
paign. He  said  to  them  ;  "  You  will  always  remain 


56  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

the  first  continental  power,  after  France;  you  are 
deucedly  strong.  Allied  as  I  was  with  Russia,  I 
never  expected  to  have  on  my  hands  a  serious  con- 
tinental war,  and  what  a  war ! "  Then  to  console 
them  for  the  conditions  imposed  on  mutilated  Aus- 
tria, he  added :  "  Why  distress  yourselves  about  a  few 
scraps  of  territory  which  must  come  back  to  you 
some  day?  All  this  can  only  last  during  my  life- 
time. France  ought  never  to  fight  beyond  the  Rhine. 
I  have  been  able  to ;  but  when  I'm  gone,  it's  all  over." 
Perhaps  he  was  thinking  of  marrying  Marie  Louise; 
at  any  rate,  he  showed  a  consideration  for  Prince  John 
of  Lichtenstein  and  General  Bubna  which  amazed  all 
who  saw  it.  M.  de  Bausset,  who  accompanied  him 
as  a  gentleman-in-waiting,  says  in  his  Memoirs :  "  I 
watched  attentively  the  two  Austrian  commissioners 
while  they  were  breakfasting  with  the  Emperor;  I 
tried  to  read  their  expressions,  and  I  fancied  that  I 
saw  harmony  and  a  good  understanding  growing  day 
by  day.  .  .  .  Napoleon's  politeness  and  graciousness 
towards  these  gentlemen  never  relaxed  for  a  moment. 
He  seemed  anxious  to  give  them  a  favorable  idea  of 
his  manners  and  his  person."  Nevertheless  there 
were  many  patriotic  men  and  women  in  Austria  who 
were  inconsolable.  Princess  Charles  of  Schwarzen- 
berg  —  the  wife  of  the  brilliant  general  who  had  just 
fought  like  a  hero,  and,  in  the  next  year,  as  Austrian 
ambassador  at  the  court  of  the  Tuileries  was  to  nego- 
tiate the  marriage  of  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  — 
wrote  a  most  despairing  letter  to  her  husband,  in 


1809.  57 

which  she  said :  "  I  shall  bury  myself  in  the  past  in 
order  to  escape  the  present  and  the  future.  I  have 
heard  that  you  were  to  be  chosen  to  negotiate  this 
so-called  peace;  it  was  a  heavenly  grace  by  which 
you  escaped  sullying  your  name.  To  conclude,  I 
have  only  one  earthly  wish:  it  is  that  the  ruin  which 
we  are  cowardly  enough  to  call  a  peace,  may  become 
complete,  that  our  political  existence  may  end.  I 
pray  for  the  calm  of  death." 

Napoleon  was  about  leaving  Schoenbrunn,  to  return 
to  France,  when,  October  12,  1809,  just  as  he  was 
about  to  review  his  troops,  he  saw  approaching  him  a 
young  German,  of  suspicious  appearance,  who  was 
at  once  arrested.  This  young  man,  whose  name  was 
Staaps,  was  the  son  of  a  Protestant  pastor  at  Erfurt, 
and  under  his  coat  was  found  a  large,  sharp  dagger, 
with  which  he  said  he  had  intended  to  kill  the 
Emperor,  in  order  to  deliver  Germany.  The  cool, 
calm  replies  of  this  determined  fanatic,  whom  Napo- 
leon himself  examined,  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
him.  Might  not  this  young  German  be  the  fore- 
runner of  numberless  volunteers  who  were  about  to 
organize  against  France  what  they  would  consider  a 
holy  war  ?  At  the  sight  of  this  youth,  who  gave  calm 
expression  to  unrelenting  hatred,  Napoleon  —  who 
did  not  venture  to  spare  his  life,  although  no  criminal 
act  had  been  committed  —  was  moved  by  a  painful 
feeling  in  which  pity  was  mingled  with  surprise, 
lie  who  had  cost  Germany  such  torrents  of  blood 
and  tears  was  singularly  astonished  when  at  last  he 


58  THE  EMPEESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

saw  that  Germany  did  not  love  him.  Nothing  is 
so  repugnant  to  the  great  of  the  earth,  and  especially 
to  conquerors,  as  the  thought  of  death,  —  death,  the 
only  unconquerable  foe !  What,  the  first  comer,  a 
fool,  a  vulgar  fanatic,  can  with  a  kitchen  knife  lay 
low  the  greatest  hero,  the  most  illustrious  warrior, 
the  mightiest  king!  At  Regensberg,  when  he  was 
wounded  for  the  first  time  since  he  had  begun  his 
military  career,  the  hero  of  so  many  battles  perceived, 
and  not  without  a  pang,  that  he  was  not  invulnerable. 
Before  the  corpse  of  the  brave  Marshal  Lannes,  who 
had  had  his  two  legs  carried  off  by  a  cannon-ball 
at  Esoling,  he  wrote  very  sadly  to  the  Empress 
Josephine :  "  So  everything  ends ! "  And  now  he 
might  himself  have  fallen  by  the  hand  of  a  poor, 
unknown  student !  As  the  Duchess  of  Abrante's 
wrote:  "Death,  which  was  always  prowling  about 
the  Emperor  in  various  forms,  yet  never  daring  to 
seize  him,  but  always  appearing  to  say,  Take  care ! 
.  .  .  was  a  prophecy,  and  a  prophecy  of  evil."  Napo- 
leon began  to  reflect  seriously.  To  audacity  and  the 
spirit  of  adventure  there  suddenly  succeeded  pru- 
dence and  the  need  of  self-preservation.  The  all- 
powerful  Emperor  said  to  himself  at  the  moment 
of  his  triumph,  that  if  he  were  to  die  without  a  direct 
heir,  his  vast  Empire  would  fall  to  pieces,  like  that  of 
Alexander  the  Great,  and  the  unrivalled  edifice,  built 
at  the  price  of  so  much  toil  and  sacrifice,  would  be 
shattered. 

The  national  historian  has  said:  "In  proportion  as  he 


1809.  59 

lost  the  support  of  the  public,  Napoleon  took  pleasure 
in  thinking  that  it  was  the  lack  of  a  future  and  not 
his  own  misdeeds  that  threatened  his  proud  throne 
with  premature  fragility.  The  desire  to  make  firm 
what  he  felt  trembling  beneath  his  feet,  became  his 
dominant  passion,  as  if,  with  a  new  wife  in  the 
Tuileries,  the  mother  of  a  male  heir,  the  faults  which 
had  armed  the  whole  world  against  him  would  be 
only  causes  without  effects."  And  Thiers  adds  this 
reflection:  "It  would  doubtless  have  been  to  his 
advantage  to  have  had  an  undoubted  heir ;  it  would 
have  been  better,  a  hundred  times  better,  to  have 
been  prudent  and  wise.  Napoleon,  who,  despite  his 
need  of  a  son,  could  not,  after  Tilsit,  at  the  very 
climax  of  his  power  and  glory,  make  up  his  mind  to 
sacrifice  Josephine,  at  last  came  to  a  decision  because 
he  felt  the  Empire  threatened,  and  he  tried  in  a  new 
marriage  to  secure  the  solidity  which  he  should  have 
tried  to  obtain  by  wise  and  moderate  conduct." 

Possibly  even  when  at  Schoenbrunn  the  conqueror 
already  thought  of  asking  for  the  hand  of  the  young 
archduchess  whose  home  this  palace  was.  At  any 
rate,  it  never  crossed  his  mind  that  in  the  very  room 
where  he  wove  such  proud  visions,  such  far-reaching 
plans,  his  heir  would  die  so  sadly,  the  heir  whom  the 
daughter  of  the  Germanic  Caesars  was  to  give  to  him. 
When  he  reappeared  crowned  with  victory  at  Fontaine- 
bleau,  October  26,  1809,  Josephine  felt  that  her  fate 
was  sealed.  The  immediate  result  of  the  battle  of 
Wagram  was  the  divorce. 


m. 

THE   PRELIMINARIES    OF   THE   WEDDING. 

A  USTRIA  had  known  terrible  fears  during  the 
_XTY_  campaign  of  Wagram ;  it  had  asked  anxiously, 
whether  the  Hapsburgs  might  not  disappear  from  the 
list  of  crowned  heads,  like  the  Spanish  Bourbons,  or 
might  not,  like  the  Neapolitan  Bourbons,  be  left  to 
enjoy  only  part  of  their  States.  The  peace  which 
was  signed  at  Vienna,  October  14,  1809,  had  some- 
what allayed  these  serious  apprehensions,  but  the 
situation  of  Austria  remained  no  less  anxious  and 
painful.  As  Prince  Metternich  has  said  in  his 
curious  Memoirs :  "  The  so-called  Peace  of  Vienna 
had  enclosed  the  Empire  in  an  iron  circle,  cutting 
off  its  communication  with  the  Adriatic,  and  sur- 
rounding it  from  Brody,  on  the  extreme  northeast, 
towards  Russia,  to  the  southeastern  frontiers  toward 
the  Ottoman  Empire,  with  a  row  of  states  under 
Napoleon's  rule,  or  under  his  direct  influence.  The 
Empire,  as  if  caught  in  a  vice,  was  not  free  to  move 
in  any  direction ;  moreover,  the  conqueror  had  done 
all  he  could  to  prevent  the  defeated  nation  from 
renewing  its  strength ;  a  secret  article  of  the  treaty 

60 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WEDDING.  61 

of  peace  established  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men  as  the  maximum  force  of  the  Austrian  army." 

A  still  darker  danger  threatened  the  throne  of  the 
Hapsburgs ;  namely,  the  marriage,  which  was  thought 
very  probable  and  very  near,  of  Napoleon  with  the 
sister  of  the  Czar.  Thus  imprisoned  between  two 
vast  empires,  between  that  of  the  East  and  that  of 
the  West,  as  if  between  hammer  and  anvil,  what 
would  become  of  Austria,  shorn  of  its  territory  and 
its  strength  ? 

There  was  but  one  chance,  and  a  very  faint  one, 
of  any  defence  against  the  dangers  that  threatened 
Austria,  and  that  was,  that  the  Viennese  court  might 
make  the  match  which  the  Russian  court  was  con- 
templating. Already,  its  matrimonial  alliances  had 
brought  the  country  good  fortune  more  than  once, 
and  it  could  not  forget  the  famous  maxim  expressed 
in  a  Latin  line  — 

"Bella  gerant  alii;  tufelix  Austria,  nube/" 
"  Let  others  wage  war ;  do  you,  happy  Austria,  marry  I  " 

The  last  campaigns  had  been  unfavorable  to  the 
Hapsburg  dynasty;  a  marriage  would  set  things  to 
right. 

At  Vienna  a  party  which  may  be  called  the  peace 
party  had  come  to  power.  Mr.  von  Stadion,  a  states- 
man of  warlike  tendencies,  had  been  succeeded  in 
the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  by  a  young  and 
brilliant  diplomatist,  Count  Metternich.  The  new 
minister  had  been  ambassador  to  Paris  before  the 


62  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

campaign  of  Wagram,  and,  while  he  had  been  unable 
to  prevent  the  war,  he  had  left  a  very  favorable 
impression  at  Napoleon's  court,  where  his  success 
as  a  man  of  the  world,  as  a  great  nobleman,  had 
been  very  brilliant.  He  then,  in  the  lifetime  of  his 
father,  Prince  Metternich,  bore  only  the  title  of 
Count.  In  his  desire  to  attest  his  belief  in  the 
possibility  of  a  reconciliation  between  Austria  and 
Napoleon,  he  had  left  his  wife,  Countess  Metternich, 
in  France  during  the  war.  When  he  came  to  power, 
he  conceived  a  political  plan  which  was  founded, 
temporarily  at  least,  if  not  finally,  on  a  French  alli- 
ance. But  to  secure  all  the  benefits  which  he  hoped 
to  get  from  it,  Napoleon's  marriage  with  an  Austrian 
princess  was  necessary;  and  Metternich,  who  was 
aware  of  the  negotiations  between  the  French  and 
Russian  courts,  was  not  inclined  to  believe  in  the 
possibility  of  a  marriage  between  an  Austrian  Arch- 
duchess and  the  hero  of  Wagram.  Neither  before 
nor  after  the  conclusion  of  the  Treaty  of  Vienna  was 
a  word  spoken  about  this  plan,  either  by  Napoleon 
or  by  the  Austrian  court. 

The  Emperor  of  the  French  had  absolutely  decided 
on  a  divorce ;  but  he  still  thought  that  it  was  the  Grand 
Duchess  Anne,  sister  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  of 
Russia,  who  was  going  to  succeed  Josephine.  On  the 
occasion  of  the  interview  at  Erfurt  he  had  spoken  of 
this  marriage,  and  the  Czar  appeared  to  be  most  favor- 
able to  the  plan.  November  22,  1809,  the  Duke  of 
Cadore,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  forwarded  this 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WEDDING.  63 

despatch  to  the  Duke  of  Vicenza,  French  Ambassador 
at  Saint  Petersburg :  "  Rumors  of  the  divorce  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  at  Erfurt,  and  he 
spoke  to  the  Emperor  on  the  subject,  saying  that  his 
sister  Anne  was  at  his  disposition.  His  Majesty  de- 
sires you  to  broach  the  subject  frankly  and  simply 
with  the  Emperor  Alexander,  and  to  address  him  in 
these  terms :  4  Sire,  I  have  reason  to  think  that  the 
Emperor,  urged  by  the  whole  of  France,  is  making 
ready  for  a  divorce.  May  I  ask  what  may  be  counted 
on  in  regard  of  your  sister  ?  Will  not  Your  Majesty 
consider  the  question  for  two  days  and  then  give  me 
a  frank  reply,  not  as  to  the  French  Ambassador,  but  as 
to  a  person  interested  in  the  two  families  ?  I  am  not 
making  a  formal  demand,  but  rather  requesting  the 
expression  of  your  intentions.  I  venture,  Sire,  upon 
this  step,  because  I  am  so  accustomed  to  say  what  I 
think  to  Your  Majesty  that  I  have  no  fear  of  compro- 
mising myself.' 

"  You  will  not  mention  the  subject  to  M.  de  Ro- 
manzoff  on  any  pretext  whatsoever,  and  when  you 
shall  have  had  this  conversation  with  the  Emperor 
Alexander,  and  shall  have  received  his  answer  two 
days  later,  you  will  entirely  forget  this  communica- 
tion that  I  am  making.  You  will,  in  addition,  inform 
me  concerning  the  qualities  of  the  young  Princess, 
and  especially  when  she  may  be  expected  to  become 
a  mother;  for  in  the  present  state  of  affairs,  six  months' 
difference  is  of  great  importance.  I  need  not  recom- 
mend to  Your  Excellency  the  most  complete  secrecy  j 


64  THE  EMPRESS  MAttlE  LOUISE. 

you  know  what  you  owe  to  the  Emperor  in  this 
respect." 

At  that  time  couriers  took  two  weeks  to  go  from 
Paris  to  Saint  Petersburg,  and  the  answer  to  the 
despatch  of  November  22  had  not  yet  arrived  when 
Napoleon,  who  did  not  yet  know  who  his  second  wife 
was  to  be,  announced  to  Josephine,  November  30, 
that  divorce  was  inevitable.  The  unhappy  Empress 
received  for  the  last  time  at  the  Tuileries,  which  she 
was  to  leave  forever,  in  the  morning  of  December  16. 
The  reception  was  drawing  to  an  end.  Among  those 
who  were  waiting  on  the  grand  staircase  or  in  the 
vestibule  for  their  carriages  to  be  announced,  there 
happened  to  be  standing  together  M.  de  Se"monville, 
a  young  man  of  some  prominence  in  the  court,  and 
M.  de  Floret,  a  young  secretary  of  the  Austrian  lega- 
tion. Everybody  imagined  then  that  the  marriage 
with  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Russia  was  settled.  Sud- 
denly, in  this  crowd  of  great  personages,  M.  da  Se*- 
monville  began  the  following  conversation  with  the 
Austrian  diplomatist :  — 

"  Well,  that's  fixed.     Why  didn't  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  Who  says  that  we  didn't  want  to  ?  " 

"  People  think  so.    Are  they  wrong?  " 

"  Perhaps." 

"  What  ?  It  would  be  possible  ?  You  may  think 
so;  but  the  Ambassador?" 

"  I  will  answer  for  Prince  Schwarzenbergo"  •> 

"  But  Count  Metternich?" 

"  There  is  no  difficulty  about  him." 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WELDING.  65 

"  But  the  Emperor  ?  " 

"  Or  about  him,  either." 

"  And  the  Empress,  who  hates  us  ?  " 

"  You  don't  know  her ;  she  is  ambitious,  and  could 
be  persuaded." 

M.  de  Se*monville  started  at  once  to  report  this  cu- 
rious conversation  to  his  friend,  the  Duke  of  Bassano, 
who  at  once  hastened  to  speak  of  it  to  the  Emperor. 
Napoleon  appeared  pleased,  but  not  astonished.  He 
said  that  he  had  just  heard  the  same  thing  from 
Vienna. 

This  is  what  had  happened  in  the  Austrian  capital : 
the  Count  of  Narbonne  had  been  passing  through 
before  going  to  Munich,  where  he  was  to  represent 
France  as  Minister  Plenipotentiary.  This  amiable 
and  distinguished  man,  of  whom  M.  Villemain  has 
written  an  excellent  life,  had  succeeded  in  attracting 
Napoleon's  favor,  and  after  receiving  an  appointment 
as  general  in  the  French  army,  he  had  been  made 
ambassador  and  one  of  the  Emperor's  aides-de-camp. 
M.  de  Narbonne,  who  was  a  model  of  refinement  and 
bravery,  had  been  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  court 
of  Versailles  and  of  the  Constituent  Assembly.  He 
had  been  a  Knight  of  Honor  of  Madame  Adelaide, 
the  daughter  of  Louis  XV. ;  Minister  of  War  under 
Louis  XVI.,  in  1792  ;  a  friend  of  Madame  de  Stael ; 
an  e*migre*  in  England,  Switzerland,  and  Germany ; 
and  in  1809,  thanks  to  Napoleon's  good-will,  he  had 
once  more  resumed  his  military  career,  after  an  inter- 
ruption of  seventeen  years.  Towards  the  end  of  the 


66  THE  EMPEESS  MAK1E  LOUISE. 

campaign  the  Emperor  had  sent  him  as  governor  to 
Raab,  to  keep  an  eye  on  Hungary  and  Bohemia,  and 
in  case  Austria  should  refuse  to  accept  the  conditions 
imposed  by  her  conqueror,  to  proclaim  the  indepen- 
dence of  those  two  countries.  The  peace  once  signed, 
General  the  Count  of  Narbonne  went  to  Vienna, 
where  he  met  two  of  his  best  friends,  —  the  Prince  of 
Ligne,  who  had  been  one  of  the  favorites  of  Marie 
Antoinette,  and  the  Count  of  Lamarck,  who  had  been 
a  confidant  of  Mirabeau.  One  day  when  he  was  din- 
ing with  them  and  Prince  Metternich  and  a  few 
other  intimate  friends,  the  conversation  turned  to 
politics.  The  Austrian  Minister  congratulated  him- 
self on  the  peace,  which,  he  said,  made  the  future 
sure,  and  cut  short  all  danger  of  trouble  and  anarchy. 
The  Prince  of  Ligne  expressed  similar  views.  Then 
M.  de  Narbonne  spoke  out  somewhat  as  follows : 
"  Gentlemen,  I  am  surprised  by  your  recent  astonish- 
ment and  your  present  confidence.  Is  it  possible  that 
you  are  too  blind  to  see  that  every  peace,  easy  or  hard, 
is  nothing  more  than  a  brief  truce  ?  that  for  a  long 
time  we  are  hastening  to  one  conclusion,  of  which 
peace  is  but  one  of  the  stations  ?  This  conclusion  is 
the  subjugation  of  the  whole  of  Europe  under  two 
mighty  empires.  You  have  seen  the  swift  growth 
and  progress  of  one  of  these  empires  since  1800.  As 
to  the  other,  it  is  not  yet  determined.  It  will  be 
either  Austria  or  Russia,  according  to  the  results  of 
the  Peace  of  Vienna ;  for  this  peace  is  a  danger  if  it 
is  not  the  foundation  of  a  closer  alliance,  of  a  family 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WEDDING.  67 

alliance,  and  does  not  finally  restore  more  than  its 
beginning  took  away ;  in  a  word,  you  are  ill  advised 
if  you  hesitate  in  your  leaning  towards  France." 

The  next  morning  the  Count  of  Narbonne  was 
summoned  to  the  Emperor  Francis  II.,  and  the  Aus- 
trian monarch  indicated  the  possibility  of  a  marriage 
between  Napoleon  and  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise. 
The  Count  of  Narbonne  approved,  and  eloquently 
expressed  his  conviction  that  such  a  happy  result 
as  confiding  once  more  an  Archduchess  to  France 
would  at  last  decide  Napoleon  to  remain  at  peace, 
instead  of  forever  hazarding  his  glory,  and  to  work 
for  the  welfare  of  the  people  in  harmony  with  the 
wise  and  virtuous  monarch  whose  adopted  son  he 
would  become.  M.  de  Narbonne  sent  a  note  of  this 
conversation  to  Fouchd,  to  be  shown  to  the  Emperor, 
who  thus  had  knowledge  of  the  secret  plans  of  the 
Viennese  court  six  weeks  before  the  meeting  over 
which  he  presided  at  the  Tuileries,  to  ask  his  coun- 
cillors their  opinion  on  the  choice  of  an  Empress. 

Since  the  resumption  of  diplomatic  relations  be- 
tween the  two  powers,  the  Austrian  Ambassador  in 
Paris  had  been  Prince  Charles  of  Schwarzenberg,  the 
warrior  and  statesman  who  later,  as  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Austrian  forces,  was  to  deal  such  heavy 
blows  to  France.  In  1810  he  was  all  for  peace,  and 
his  sole  aim  was  to  undermine,  for  the  good  of  his 
country,  the  influence  of  his  Russian  colleague,  Prince 
Kourakine.  The  Austrian  Ambassador  was  very 
anxious  that  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  should 


TSE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 


become  Empress  of  the  French ;  for  he  was  convinced 
that  such  an  event  would  be  of  as  much  benefit  to 
him  as  to  his  country.  Yet  he  was  still  afraid  to 
hope  for  the  realization  of  his  dream,  when  one  of 
his  friends,  Count  Alexandre  de  Laborde  —  who. 
after  serving  as  an  e'migre',  in  the  Austrian  army,  had 
returned  to  France  and  been  appointed  Master  of 
Requests  in  the  Council  of  State,  encouraged  him  in 
his  ideas  which  might  at  first  have  seemed  fanciful. 
M.  de  Laborde,  whose  father  had  been  court-banker 
before  the  Revolution,  and  had  most  generously  aided 
Marie  Antoinette,  was  well  known  and  much  liked  in 
Vienna.  In  this  matter  of  the  marriage  of  Marie 
Louise  he  was  the  secret  agent  between  Napoleon's 
Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  the  Prince  ot 
Schwarzenberg,  in  whom  he  kindled  so  much  zeal  in 
behalf  of  the  French  alliance  that  the  Ambassador, 
as  we  shall  soon  see,  signed  the  marriage  contract  of 
the  Archduchess  with  Napoleon,  even  before  he  had 
received  the  authorization  of  his  government. 

December  17,  1809,  nothing  had  been  decided. 
Indeed,  what  seemed  probable,  if  not  certain,  was 
the  Russian  marriage.  That  day — the  day  when 
there  appeared  in  the  Monlteur  the  decree  of  the 
Senate  relative  to  the  divorce  —  a  new  despatch  had 
been  sent  from  Paris  to  Saint  Petersburg  by  the  Duke 
of  Cadore,  to  demand  a  speedy  reply  from  the  Rus- 
sian court,  yes  or  no.  The  answer  of  the  Duke  of 
Vicenza  to  the  first  despatch,  that  of  November  22, 
1809,  did  not  reach  Paris  until  December  28.  The 


PRELIMINARIES   OF  THE   WEDDING.  69 

Ambassador  said  that  the  Czar  had  received  his  over- 
tures very  amiably,  but  that  the  affair  needed  much 
discretion  and  a  little  patience.  The  Emperor  Alex- 
ander, he  went  on  to  say,  was  personally  favorable ; 
but  his  mother,  whom  he  did  not  wish  to  offend,  re- 
fused her  consent,  and  the  Czar  asked  for  a  few  days 
before  giving  a  final  answer.  This  delay  vexed  Na- 
poleon, who  nevertheless  resolved  to  wait,  although 
waiting  suited  neither  his  tastes  nor  his  character. 

In  short,  at  the  beginning  of  1810,  the  matrimonial 
alliance  with  Austria  was  not  settled.  The  initiative 
steps  had  not  been  taken  by  the  monarch,  the  minis- 
ters of  Foreign  Affairs,  or  by  the  ambassadors.  It  is 
a  curious  and  characteristic  detail,  that  it  was  the 
divorced  Empress,  Josephine,  who  gave  the  signal. 
She  summoned  the  Countess  Metternich  to  Malmai- 
son,  January  2,  1810,  and  said  to  her:  "I  have  a 
plan  which  interests  me  to  the  exclusion  of  every- 
thing else,  and  nothing  but  its  success  can  make  me 
feel  that  the  sacrifice  I  have  just  made  is  not  wholly 
thrown  away :  it  is  that  the  Emperor  shall  marry 
your  Archduchess ;  I  spoke  to  him  about  it  yesterday, 
and  he  said  that  his  choice  was  not  yet  made.  But  I 
think  it  would  be  made,  if  he  were  sure  of  being  ac- 
cepted by  you."  Madame  de  Metternich  was  much 
surprised  by  this  overture,  which  she  hastened  to 
communicate  to  her  husband  in  a  letter  dated  Janu- 
ary 3,  1810,  which  began  thus  :  "  To-day  I  have  some 
very  extraordinary  things  to  tell  you,  and  I  am 
almost  sure  that  my  letter  will  make  a  very  impor- 


70  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

tant  part  of  your  despatches.  In  the  first  place,  I 
must  tell  you  that  I  was  presented  to  the  Emperor 
last  Sunday.  I  had  only  mentioned  the  matter  in 
conversation  with  Champagny  when  I  received  a  letter 
from  M.  de  Se'gur,  telling  me  that  the  Emperor  had 
appointed  Sunday,  and  that  I  was  to  choose  a  lady- 
in-waiting  to  present  me.  In  my  wisdom  I  selected 
the.  Duchess  of  Bassano,  and  after  waiting  in  company 
with  twenty  other  women,  among  whom  were  the 
Princess  of  Isenburg,  Madame  de  Tyskiewitz  and 
others,  from  two  till  half-past  six  in  the  evening,  I 
was  introduced  first,  and  the  Emperor  received  me 
in  a  way  I  could  not  have  expected.  He  seemed 
really  glad  to  see  me  again,  and  glad  that  I  had 
stayed  here  during  the  war ;  he  spoke  about  you  and 
said,  'M.  de  Metternich  holds  the  first  place  in  the 
Empire  ;  he  knows  the  country  well  and  can  be  of 
service  to  it.'  '  ^ 

Then  the  Countess  went  on  to  narrate  what  the 
Empress  Josephine  and  Queen  Hortense  had  said 
the  evening  before  at  Malmaison.  She  had  been 
received  by  Hortense  while  waiting  in  the  drawing- 
room  for  Josephine  to  come  down,  and  she  had  been 
much  astounded  to  hear  the  Queen  of  Holland  say 
with  much  warmth:  "You  know  that  we  are  all 
Austrians  at  heart,  but  you  would  never  guess  that 
my  brother  has  had  the  courage  to  advise  the  Emperor 
to  ask  for  the  hand  of  your  Archduchess."  Josephine 
frequently  referred  to  this  projected  marriage,  on 
which  she  seemed  to  have  set  her  heart.  "  Yes,"  she 


PEELIMIN ARIES  OF  THE   WEDDING.  71 

said, "  we  must  try  to  arrange  it."  Then  she  expressed 
her  regret  that  M.  de  Metternich  was  not  in  Paris ; 
for  if  he  had  been,  doubtless  he  would  bring  the 
affair  to  a  happy  conclusion.  "  Your  Emperor  must 
be  made  to  see,"  she  went  on,  "  that  his  ruin  and  the 
ruin  of  his  country  are  certain  if  he  does  not  give  his 
consent  to  this  marriage.  It  is  perhaps  the  only  way 
of  preventing  Napoleon  from  breaking  with  the  Holy 
See." 

The  letter  of  the  Countess  Metternich  ended  thus : 
"I  have  not  seen  the  Queen  of  Holland  again,  be- 
cause she  is  ill.  Hence  I  have  nothing  positive  to 
tell  you  concerning  the  matter  in  question ;  but  if  I 
wanted  to  tell  you  all  the  honors  that  have  been 
showered  upon  me,  I  should  not  stop  so  soon.  At 
the  last  levee  I  played  with  the  Emperor ;  you  may 
imagine  that  it  was  a  serious  matter  for  me,  but 
I  managed  to  come  off  with  glory.  He  began  by 
praising  my  diamond  headband,  and  that  everlasting 
gold  dress,  then  he  asked  me  a  number  of  questions 
about  my  family  and  all  my  relatives ;  he  insisted,  in 
spite  of  all  I  could  say,  that  Louis  von  Kaunitz  was 
my  brother.  You  can't  imagine  what  effect  that 
little  game  of  cards  had.  When  it  was  over,  I  was 
surrounded  and  paid  court  to  by  all  the  great  digni- 
taries, marshals,  ministers,  etc.  I  had  abundant  mate- 
rial for  philosophical  reflections  on  the  vicissitude  of 
human  affairs." 

Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  the  overtures  which 
Josephine  had  made  to  the  Countess  Metternich, 


72  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

Napoleon  had  come  to  no  decision  about  his  new 
wife.  One  day  when  he  had  been  working  with 
M.  Daru,  whom  he  highly  esteemed,  he  had  the 
following  conversation  with  him :  — 

"In  your  opinion  which  would  be  the  better  for 
me,  to  marry  the  Russian  or  the  Austrian  ? " 

"  Neither." 

"  The  devil !     You  are  very  hard  to  please." 

"  Neither,  I  say,  but  a  Frenchwoman ;  and  provided 
the  new  Empress  does  not  have  too  many  relatives 
who  will  have  to  be  made  princes  and  given  a  large 
fortune,  France  will  approve  your  choice.  The 
throne  you  occupy  is  like  no  other ;  you  have  erected 
it  with  your  own  hands.  You  are  at  the  head  of 
a  generous  nation;  your  glory  and  its  glory  ought 
to  be  shared  in  common.  It  is  not  by  imitating 
other  monarchs,  it  is  by  distinguishing  yourself, 
that  you  find  your  real  greatness.  You  do  not  rule 
by  the  same  title  that  they  do;  you  ought  not  to 
marry  as  they  do.  The  nation  would  be  flattered 
by  your  looking  at  home  for  an  Empress,  and  it 
would  always  see  in  your  line  a  thoroughly  French 
family." 

"  Come,  come  !  that's  nonsense  !  If  M.  de  Talley- 
rand should  hear  you,  he  would  form  a  very  poor 
idea  of  your  political  sagacity.  You  don't  treat  this 
question  like  a  statesman.  I  must  unite  in  defence 
of  my  crown  those  at  home  and  abroad  who  are  still 
hostile  to  it ;  and  my  marriage  furnishes  a  chance. 
Do  you  imagine  that  monarchs'  marriages  are  mat- 


PRELIMINARIES   OF  THE   WEDDING.  73 

ters  of  sentiment  ?  No ;  they  are  matters  of  politics. 
Mine  cannot  be  decided  by  motives  of  internal  pol- 
icy; I  must  try  to  establish  my  influence  outside, 
and  to  extend  it  by  a  close  alliance  with  a  powerful 
neighbor." 

No  answer  had  come  from  Russia,  no  official  over- 
ture had  been  made  to  or  by  Austria ;  still  Napoleon 
continued  to  believe,  or  at  least  pretended  to  believe, 
that  his  only  difficulty  was  to  make  the  best  choice. 
The  idea  that  two  emperors  and  a  king  —  without 
counting  the  other  sovereigns  on  whom  he  did  not 
deign  to  cast  a  glance  —  were  simultaneously  disput- 
ing the  honor  of  allying  their  family  with  him,  greatly 
flattered  his  pride.  In  fact,  what  he  desired  was  the 
Austrian  marriage ;  but  he  was  anxious  to  keep  his 
preferences  secret,  in  order  to  prolong  in  the  eyes  of 
his  principal  councillors,  an  uncertainty  in  which  his 
pride  did  not  suffer.  He  convoked  them  to  an  ex- 
traordinary session,  at  the  Tuileries,  after  mass, 
Sunday,  January  21,  1810.  The  great  dignitaries 
of  the  Empire,  —  Champagny,  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs ;  the  Duke  of  Cadore ;  Maret,  the  Secretary 
of  State ;  the  Duke  of  Bassano ;  M.  Garnier,  the 
President  of  the  Senate ;  and  M.  de  Fontanes,  Pres- 
ident of  the  Corps  Le*gislatif, — all  took  part  in  this 
solemn  council.  The  relative  advantages  and  dis- 
advantages of  the  Russian,  the  Saxon,  and  the  Aus- 
trian marriage  were  considered  at  great  length.  The 
Archtreasurer  Lebrun  and  M.  Garnier  favored  the 
daughter  of  the  King  of  Saxony ;  the  Archchancel- 


74  THE  EMPEESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

lor  Cambace're's  and  King  Murat,  the  Grand  Duchess 
of  Russia ;  M.  de  Champagny,  Prince  Talleyrand, 
Prince  Eugene,  the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel  and  the 
Duke  of  Bassano,  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise. 
Murat  especially  distinguished  himself  by  his  violent 
opposition  to  the  Austrian  alliance.  Doubtless  he 
was  averse  to  the  selection  for  Empress  of  the 
French  of  the  granddaughter  of  Queen  Marie  Caro- 
line of  Naples,  whose  throne  he  was  occupying. 
Napoleon  remained  calm  and  impassive.  When  the 
meeting  was  over,  he  dismissed  the  councillors, 
simply  saying :  "  I  shall  weigh  in  my  mind  the  argu- 
ments that  you  have  submitted  to  me.  In  any  case, 
I  remain  convinced  that  whatever  difference  may 
exist  in  your  views,  each  one  has  formed  his  opinion 
only  from  a  desire  for  the  good  of  the  country  and 
devotion  to  my  person."  Thus  it  was  that  seventeen 
years  to  a  day  after  a  king  of  France  who  had  mar- 
ried an  Austrian  archduchess  had  died  on  the  scaf- 
fold, there  was  discussed  the  alliance  of  a  new  French 
ruler  with  another  archduchess,  the  grandniece  of 
the  other. 

Some  time  later,  Cambace're's,  in  the  course  of  a 
conversation  with  M.  Pasquier,  then  Counsellor  of 
State,  gave  utterance  to  his  regret  at  having  failed  to 
impress  upon  his  hearers  the  superior  advantages  of 
the  Russian  alliance.  "  I  am  not  surprised,"  he  said ; 
"when  a  man  has  only  one  argument  to  give,  and 
it  is  impossible  to  give  it,  he  must  expect  to  be 
beaten.  .  .  .  And  you  will  see  that  my  argument 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WEDDING.  75 

is  so  good  that  a  single  sentence  will  show  you  all 
its  weight.  I  am  morally  sure  that  in  less  than  two 
years  we  shall  be  at  war  with  the  Emperor  whose 
relative  we  do  not  marry.  Now  war  with  Austria 
causes  me  no  anxiety ;  but  I  dread  war  with  Russia ; 
its  consequences  are  incalculable.  I  know  that  the 
Emperor  is  familiar  with  the  road  to  Vienna,  but 
I  am  not  so  sure  that  he  will  find  the  road  to  St. 
Petersburg." 

After  quoting  this  conversation  between  Cam- 
bace'r&s  and  M.  Pasquier  in  his  admirable  book, 
The  Church  of  Home  and  the  First  Empire,  the 
Count  d'Haussonville  indulges  in  some  philosophic 
reflections :  "  If  it  is  curious  to  come  upon  this  pro- 
found and  accurate  summary,  compressed  into  a  few 
clear  and  precise  words  by  a  man  of  remarkable 
sagacity  dealing  with  a  future  still  completely  hidden, 
it  is  no  less  strange  to  think  that  the  prospect  of 
the  Austrian  marriage,  destined  to  be  so  fatal  to  the 
Empire,  should  be  suddenly  discussed  in  a  five  min- 
utes' talk  between  two  men  who  met  by  chance  on 
the  steps  of  the  Tuileries,  at  the  very  moment  when 
the  unhappy  Josephine  was  about  to  leave  this  spot 
which  had  been  so  long  her  home.  When  we  reflect 
on  the  course  of  all  the  following  events,  we  may 
perhaps  say  that  the  fate  of  the  Empire  was  settled  in 
this  eventful  quarter  of  an  hour ;  for  if  the  Emperor 
had  married  the  Grand  Duchess  instead  of  Marie 
Louise,  probably  the  campaign  of  1812,  which  Cam- 
bace're's  foresaw,  would  not  have  taken  place,  and 


76  THE  EMPBESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

Heaven  knows  what  part  this  unhappy  expedition 
played  in  the  fall  of  the  First  Empire  ! " 

How  insufficient  is  human  wisdom,  how  false  its 
calculations !  This  Austrian  marriage  which  dis- 
couraged the  bitterest  enemies  of  the  hero  of  Auster- 
litz,  of  Jena,  of  Wagram,  this  magnificent  marriage 
which  was  to  have  been  the  safeguard  of  the  Empire, 
proved  its  ruin.  This  great  event  which  called  forth 
abundant  congratulations  and  outbursts  of  noisy  de- 
light was  the  main  cause  of  the  most  tremendous 
and  most  disastrous  war  of  modern  times.  If  he 
had  not  blindly  counted  on  his  father-in-law's  friend- 
ship, would  Napoleon,  in  spite  of  all  his  audacity, 
have  ventured  to  march  to  the  Russian  steppes, 
without  even  taking  the  precaution  of  reviving 
Poland?  He  himself  has  said  it:  his  marriage  with 
the  Austrian  Archduchess  was  an  abyss  covered  with 
flowers. 

January  was  drawing  to  a  close  ;  and  while  in  Paris 
many  people  were  beginning  to  regard  Napoleon's 
marriage  with  Marie  Louise  as  very  probable,  the 
young  princess  herself  had  no  suspicion  of  his  inten- 
tions. Count  Metternich  who,  like  his  sovereign, 
had  mantained  secrecy  about  this  delicate  matter, 
wrote  to  his  wife,  January  27,  1810 :  "  The  Arch- 
duchess is  still  ignorant,  as  indeed  is  proper,  of  the 
plans  concerning  her,  and  it  is  not  from  the  Empress 
Josephine,  who  gives  us  so  many  proofs  of  her  con- 
fidence, who  with  so  many  noble  qualities  combines 
those  of  a  tender  mother,  that  I  shall  conceal  the 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WEDDING.  77 

many  considerations  which  necessarily  present  them- 
selves to  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  when  the 
matter  is  laid  before  her.  But  our  princesses  are 
little  accustomed  to  choose  their  husbands  according 
to  their  own  inclinations,  and  the  respect  which  so 
fond  and  so  well-trained  a  daughter  feels  for  her 
father's  wishes,  makes  me  confident  that  she  will 
make  no  opposition." 

The  same  day,  January  27,  1810,  the  Count  Met- 
ternich  wrote  to  Prince  Charles  of  Schwarzenberg, 
the  Austrian  Ambassador  in  Paris,  a  despatch  which 
proves  that  the  negotiations  concerning  the  marriage 
had  not  yet  begun :  "  It  is  with  great  interest  that 
his  Imperial  Majesty  has  heard  the  details  which 
Your  Highness  has  communicated  to  him  in  his  last 
despatches,  on  the  question  of  the  marriage  of  the 
Emperor  of  the  French.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
form  any  definite  conclusion  from  the  different  data 
that  reach  us.  It  is  impossible  not  to  see  a  certain 
official  character  in  the  explanations,  vague  as  they 
are,  which  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  has  had 
with  Your  Highness.  M.  de  Laborde's  uninterrupted 
zeal,  the  remarks  of  so  many  persons  connected  with 
the  government,  all  tending  in  one  direction,  and 
especially  the  very  direct  overtures  made  by  the 
Empress  and  the  Queen  of  Holland  to  Madame  de 
Metternich,  would  incline  us  to  suppose  that  Napo- 
leon's mind  was  made  up,  as  the  Emperor  said,  if  our 
august  master  should  consent  to  give  him  Madame 
the  Archduchess,  On  the  other  hand,  the  demands 


THE  EMPttEss  MAEIE  LOUISE. 


commonly  reported  to  have  been  addressed  to  Russia 
conflict  with  this  supposition.  The  question  must, 
at  any  rate,  become  clearer  shortly  after  the  arrival 
of  the  next  courier,  if  indeed  not  before  then.  So 
much  has  been  said,  that  it  is  impossible  to  deny  that 
an  alliance  with  the  Imperial  House  of  Austria  has 
entered  into  the  designs  of  the  French  court.  By 
following  a  very  simple  calculation  and  comparing 
the  great  publicity  given  to  the  alleged  demand  on 
Russia  with  the  secrecy  exercised  towards  us  in  this 
matter,  we  may  possibly  be  authorized  to  suppose 
that  at  present  their  views  tend  in  our  direction  ;  but 
probability  is  of  very  little  account  in  a  transaction 
of  this  sort  to  which  Napoleon  is  a  party,  and  we  can 
only  go  on  in  our  usual  course,  and  the  result,  in  one 
way  or  another,  must  inure  to  our  advantage." 

While  the  court  of  Vienna  thus  maintained  a  posi- 
tion of  prudent  and  dignified  reserve,  Napoleon,  an- 
noyed by  the  delays  of  the  Russian  court,  and  now 
only  anxious  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  it, 
impatiently  awaited  the  despatches  from  Saint  Peters- 
burg. These  arrived  February  6,  but  they  brought 
no  satisfactory  news.  The  first  delay  of  ten  days 
which  the  Czar  had  asked  of  the  Duke  of  Vicenza 
came  to  an  end  January  6,  but  on  the  21st  the  Em- 
peror Alexander  had  not  yet  replied.  He  said,  to  be 
sure,  that  his  mother  had  withdrawn  her  opposition  ; 
but  he  combined  the  affairs  of  the  marriage  with  the 
political  negotiations  concerning  Poland,  and  doubt- 
less in  the  desire  of  affecting  Napoleon's  decision,  he 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE  WEDDING.  79 

let  the  matter  drag,  as  if  he  wanted  to  be  urged. 
The  Duke  of  Viceuza  also  said  in  his  despatches 
that,  according  to  the  physicians,  the  Grand  Duchess 
was  yet  too  young  to  bear  children,  and  that  since 
she  was  averse  to  changing  her  religion,  she  insisted 
on  having  a  Greek  chapel  and  Greek  priests  at  the 
Tuileries. 

Napoleon  hesitated  no  longer.  That  same  day  he 
sent  word  to  the  Russian  Ambassador,  Prince  Koura- 
kine,  that,  being  unable  to  accept  a  longer  delay, 
he  broke  off  the  negotiation;  and  that  evening  he 
had  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  Prince  Schwarzenberg, 
asked  if  the  contract  of  his  marriage  with  the  Arch- 
duchess Marie  Louise  could  be  signed  the  next  day. 

The  Austrian  diplomatist  had  never  expected  that 
events  were  going  to  move  at  any  such  speed.  He 
knew  the  favorable  disposition  of  his  court,  but  he 
had  received  no  authorization  to  conclude  the  busi- 
ness. The  general  instructions  which  had  been  sent 
to  him  regarding  the  marriage  were  dated  Decem- 
ber 25,  1809,  and  they  had  not  since  been  modified. 
These  left  the  Ambassador  free  to  discuss  the  ques- 
tion only  in  accordance  with  the  restrictions  which 
Count  Metternich  had  thus  formulated. 

"  1.  Every  overture  is  to  be  received  by  you  in  an 
unofficial  capacity.  Your  Highness  must  take  cogni- 
zance of  it  only  by  expressing  your  personal  willing- 
ness to  see  how  the  land  lies  here. 

"  2.  You  will  then  make  it  clear,  as  if  it  were  a 
remark  of  your  own,  that  if  no  secondary  considera- 


80  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

tion,  no  prejudice,  influence  the  Emperor's  decision, 
there  are  laws  which  he  will  always  obey.  His 
Majesty  will  never  force  a  beloved  daughter  to  a 
marriage  which  she  might  abhor,  and  will  never 
consent  to  a  marriage  not  in  conformity  with  the 
principles  of  our  religion. 

"  3.  You  will  endeavor,  moreover,  to  get  a  definite 
statement  of  the  advantages  which  France  would 
offer  to  Austria  in  the  case  of  a  family  alliance." 

When,  in  the  evening  of  February  6,  1810,  Napo- 
leon's Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  asked  Prince  Schwar- 
zenberg  if  he  was  ready  to  sign  the  marriage  contract 
at  the  Tuileries  the  next  morning,  the  Ambassador 
was  delighted,  but  surprised,  and  perhaps,  for  a  mo- 
ment, perplexed.  If  he  regarded  the  instructions 
conveyed  in  the  despatch  of  December  25,  1809,  he 
certainly  had  no  authority  to  sign  anything.  In  fact, 
not  merely  did  he  not  know  whether  the  Archduchess 
had  given  her  consent,  he  did  not  know  whether  she 
had  ever  been  informed  of  the  projected  marriage. 
Besides,  he  had  no  information  as  to  the  way  in  which 
the  Austrian  court  looked  on  the  annulment  of  the 
religious  marriage  of  Napoleon  and  Josephine  by  the 
officials  of  the  diocese  of  Paris,  who  had  acted  inde- 
pendently of  the  Pope.  Finally,  he  was  not  in  condi- 
tion to  stipulate  for  any  political  advantage  to  his 
government  as  the  price  of  the  alliance.  A  timid 
diplomatist  would  have  hesitated.  But  might  not 
there  arrive  the  next  moment  a  courier  from  Saint 
Petersburg,  bringing  a  definite  answer  from  the  Czar? 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  THE   WEDDING.  81 

Would  Napoleon,  impatient  as  he  was  and  unused  to 
delay  —  would  he  accept  the  slightest  postponement 
on  the  part  of  Austria?  Prince  Schwarzenberg  burned 
his  ships ;  he  said  to  himself  that  if  his  action  were 
disavowed,  he  could  go  and  raise  cabbages  on  his 
estate ;  but  if  it  were  approved,  he  would  be  at  the 
top  of  the  wave.  Abandoning  then  the  customary 
slowness  and  scruples  of  diplomacy,  he  answered 
without  hesitation  that  he  was  ready,  and  made  an 
engagement  with  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  for  the  next  day,  at  the  Tuileries,  to 
sign  the  marriage  contract  of  the  Emperor  of  the 
French,  King  of  Italy,  and  of  Marie  Louise,  Arch- 
duchess of  Austria. 


IV. 


THE   BETROTHAL. 

"TTIEBRUARY  7,  1810,  M.  Champagny,  Duke  of 
_U  Cadore,  the  French  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
and  Prince  Charles  of  Schwarzenberg,  met  at  the 
Tuileries,  and  signed,  without  the  slightest  hitch,  the 
marriage  contract  of  Napoleon  and  the  Archduchess 
Marie  Louise.  The  text  was  a  copy  almost  word  for 
word  of  Marie  Antoinette's  marriage  contract,  which 
had  been  signed  forty  years  before. 

On  leaving  the  Tuileries,  Prince  Schwarzenberg 
despatched  a  messenger  to  Vienna  to  announce  the 
momentous  news,  which  possibly  would  arouse  more 
surprise  than  delight.  "  Count,"  he  wrote  to  M.  de 
Metternich,  "in  signing  the  marriage  contract,  while 
protesting  that  I  was  in  no  way  clothed  with  power 
ad  hoc,  I  believe  that  I  have  merely  signed  a  paper 
which  can  guarantee  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon  the 
determination  already  formed  by  my  August  Sover- 
eign of  meeting  him  half-way  in  negotiation  on  this 
subject.  The  despatches  with  which  you  have  hon- 
ored me  made  the  course  that  I  was  to  follow  perfectly 
clear.  His  Majesty,  as  Your  Excellency  assures  me, 

82 


THE  BETROTHAL.  83 

approves  of  my  conduct  by  bidding  me  follow  the 
same  course ;  hence  the  marriage  is  an  affair  which 
my  government  naturally  regards  as  one  of  the  great- 
est interest,  and  one  which  it  desires  to  see  arranged. 
It  will  be  evident  to  those  who  know  the  character  of 
Emperor  Napoleon  that  if  I  had  shown  the  slightest 
hesitation,  he  would  have  abandoned  this  plan  and 
have  formed  another.  If  this  affair  was  hurried,  it 
was  because  that  is  the  way  in  which  Napoleon  acts, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  best  to  seize  the  favorable  mo- 
ment. I  have  the  most  profound  conviction  of  having 
been  of  service  to  my  sovereign  on  this  occasion ;  and 
if  by  any  possibility  I  have  had  the  misfortune  to  dis- 
please him  by  the  course  that  I  took  in  perfect  sincer- 
ity, His  Majesty  can  disavow  it,  but  in  that  case  I 
shall  instantly  demand  my  recall." 

The  next  day  Prince  Schwarzenberg  sent  to  Vienna 
one  of  his  secretaries,  M.  de  Floret,  with  this  letter  to 
M.  de  Metternich :  "Paris,  February  8, 1810.  I  send  to 
you,  dear  Count,  M.  de  Floret,  who  will  give  you  an 
account  of  everything  that  has  happened.  You  will 
soon  see  that  I  could  not  have  acted  otherwise  with- 
out spoiling  the  whole  business.  If  I  had  insisted  on 
not  signing,  he  would  have  broken  the  affair  off,  to 
treat  with  Russia  or  Saxony.  I  formally  declared 
that  I  had  full  power  to  give  the  most  positive  assur- 
ances that  the  propositions  of  marriage  would  be 
favorably  received  by  my  court;  but  that  if  I  was 
not  ready  to  sign  a  contract,  it  was  only  on  account 
of  the  impossibility  in  which  my  minister  found  him- 


84  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

self  of  supposing  that  a  matter  scarcely  touched  upon 
should  so  soon  come  to  a  head.  I  beg  of  you,  my 
dear  friend,  to  arrange  that  there  shall  be  no  obstacle 
to  this  important  business,  and  that  it  be  arranged 
with  a  good  grace.  ...  I  pity  the  Princess,  it  is 
true ;  but  yet  she  must  not  forget  that  it  is  a  noble 
deed  to  give  peace  to  such  good  nations,  and  to  give 
a  guarantee  of  general  peace  and  tranquillity.  Floret 
will  give  you  our  records,  and  will  explain  it  to  you 
by  word  of  mouth ;  we  have  not  had  time  to  have  it 
copied.  You  will  not  object  to  this,  inasmuch  as  we 
wish  Floret  to  leave  at  once.  Conclude  this  matter 
nobly,  and  you  will  render  an  incalculable  service  to 
our  country." 

At  the  diplomatic  reception  which  was  held  at  the 
Tuileries,  February  8,  Napoleon  walked  up  to  the 
Austrian  Ambassador  and  said  to  him,  in  the  most 
friendly  way,  "  You  have  been  very  busy  lately,  and 
I  think  you  have  done  a  good  piece  of  work." 
Prince  Kourakine,  the  Russian  Ambassador,  was 
much  annoyed  at  the  turn  events  had  taken,  and  did 
not  attend  the  reception,  under  the  pretext  that  he 
was  not  well.  The  evening  before  Prince  Schwar- 
zenberg  had  dined  at  the  house  of  Napoleon's  mother 
with  the  King  of  Holland,  Louis  Bonaparte,  who 
was  loudspoken  in  his  praise  of  the  Emperor  Francis 
and  the  Imperial  house  of  Austria.  At  the  court  of 
the  Tuileries  there  was  general  satisfaction.  Napo- 
leon thought  that  he  had  never  achi^ed  a  greater 
triumph. 


THE  BETROTHAL.  85 

The  messenger  whom  Prince  Schwarzenberg  had 
despatched  on  the  day  he  had  signed  the  contract, 
reached  Vienna  February  14.  The  populace  had  not 
the  faintest  idea  of  the  possibility  of  a  marriage 
between  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  and  the 
Emperor  of  the  French ;  the  Austrian  monarch  and 
M.  de  Metternich,  in  their  anxiety  to  keep  their 
secret,  lest  some  opposition  should  manifest  itself, 
had  not  breathed  a  word  about  the  overtures  made 
at  Vienna  by  Count  Alexandre  de  Laborde,  and  at 
Malmaison  by  the  Empress  Josephine.  Neither  the 
Viennese  nor  the  Diplomatic  Body  suspected  any- 
thing. As  M.  de  Metternich  put  it,  Count  Shouvaloff, 
the  Russian  Ambassador  at  the  Austrian  court,  was 
literally  petrified.  The  English  breathed  fire  and 
flame.  The  sudden  outburst  of  a  volcano  would  not 
have  been  more  startling  than  this  piece  of  news  which 
came  from  a  clear  sky.  The  impression  made  upon 
the  populace  was  one  of  surprise  which  amounted  to 
disbelief.  People  stopped  in  the  streets  to  ask  one 
another  if  the  thing  was  possible. 

Marie  Louise  had  given  her  consent  more  with 
resignation  than  with  pleasure.  Metternich  recounts 
in  his  Memoirs  his  speech  to  Francis  II.:  "In  the 
life  of  a  state,  as  in  that  of  a  private  citizen,  there 
are  cases  in  which  a  third  person  cannot  put  himself 
in  the  place  of  one  who  is  responsible  for  the  resolu- 
tions he  has  to  take.  These  cases  are  especially  such 
as  cannot  be  decided  by  calculation.  Your  Majesty 
is  a  monarch  and  a  father ;  and  Your  Majesty  alone 


86  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

can  weigh  his  duties  as  father  and  emperor."  "  It  is 
my  daughter  who  must  decide,"  answered  Francis  II. 
"  Since  I  shall  never  compel  her,  I  am  anxious,  before 
I  consider  my  duties  as  a  sovereign,  to  know  what 
she  means  to  do.  Go  find  the  Archduchess,  and  then 
let  me  know  what  she  says.  I  am  unwilling  to  speak 
to  her  of  the  demand  of  the  French  Emperor,  lest  I 
should  seem  to  be  trying  to  influence  her  decision." 

M.  de  Metternich  betook  himself  at  once  to  the 
Archduchess  Marie  Louise,  and  set  the  matter  before 
her  very  simply  and  briefly,  without  beating  about 
the  bush,  without  a  word  for  or  against  the  proposi- 
tion. The  Archduchess  listened  with  her  usual 
calmness,  and,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  asked  him, 
"  What  are  my  father's  wishes  ? ''  "  The  Emperor," 
the  minister  answered,  "has  commissioned  me  to  ask 
Your  Imperial  Highness  what  decision  she  means  to 
take  in  a  matter  concerning  her  whole  life.  Do  not 
ask  what  the  Emperor  wishes;  tell  me  what  you 
yourself  wish."  "I  wish  only  what  my  duty  com- 
mands me  to  wish,"  answered  Marie  Louise.  "When 
the  interests  of  the  Empire  are  at  stake,  they  must 
be  consulted,  not  my  feelings.  Beg  of  my  father  to 
regard  only  his  duty  as  a  sovereign,  without  subordi- 
nating it  to  my  personal  interests." 

When  M.  de  Metternich  had  reported  to  Francis  II. 
the  result  of  his  interview,  the  Emperor  said :  "  What 
you   tell   me   does   not   surprise   me.      I  know   my 
daughter  too  well  not  to  expect  just  such  an  answer. 
While  you  were  with  her,  I  have  been  considering 


THE  BETROTHAL.  87 

what  I  have  to  do.  My  consent  to  this  marriage 
will  assure  to  the  kingdom  a  few  years  of  political 
peace,  which  I  can  devote  to  healing  its  wounds. 
I  owe  myself  solely  to  the  happiness  of  my  people ; 
I  cannot  hesitate." 

We  shall  now  make  some  extracts  from  the  de- 
spatches of  Count  Otto,  the  French  Ambassador  at 
Vienna  in  1810,  which  we  have  found  in  the  archives 
of  the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs.  The  documents, 
which  have  never  been  published,  are  well  worthy  of 
our  readers'  attention,  and  they  throw  a  full  light  on 
the  Emperor  Napoleon's  relations  with  the  Austrian 
court.  M.  Otto  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1810,  that  the  news  of  the  marriage  was 
beginning  to  spread  through  the  city:  "Business 
people  are  much  excited.  Merchants  are  entreating 
me  to  tell  them  what  I  know.  Couriers  are  de- 
spatched in  every  direction.  In  short,  I  have  never 
had  occasion  to  use  more  reserve  than  at  this  mo- 
ment, when  the  real  feeling  of  this  nation,  which  has 
long  been  compelled  to  be  our  enemy,  reveals  itself 
in,  a  way  most  flattering  to  us.  The  French  officers 
who  are  returning  from  different  missions  assure  me 
that  they  have  found  the  same  spirit  in  the  army. 
*  Arrange,'  they  say,  *  that  we  can  fight  on  your  side ; 
you  will  find  us  worthy.'  Every  one  agrees  that  this 
alliance  will  insure  lasting  tranquillity  to  Europe, 
and  compel  England  to  make  peace ;  that  it  will  give 
the  Emperor  all  the  leisure  he  requires  for  organizing, 
in  accordance  with  his  lofty  plans,  the  vast  empire  he 


THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 


has  created ;  that  it  cannot  fail  to  have  an  influence 
on  the  destiny  of  Poland,  Turkey,  and  Sweden ;  and 
finally,  that  it  cannot  fail  to  give  lasting  glory  to 
Your  Excellency's  ministry.  The  news  of  the  conchu 
sion  of  this  marriage  will  be  received  with  tumultu- 
ous joy  throughout  the  Austrian  dominions.  France 
and  the  greater  part  of  Europe  will  share  this  joy. 
As  to  the  English  government,  I  do  not  think  it  pos- 
sible for  it  to  avert  the  blow  which  this  important 
event  will  deal  it;  the  national  party  will  finally 
triumph  over  the  avarice  of  usurers,  the  rancorous 
passions  of  the  ministry,  and  the  bellicose  and  con- 
stitutional fury  of  their  king.  All  humanity  will 
find  repose  beneath  the  laurels  of  our  august  Em- 
peror and,  after  having  conquered  half  of  Europe,  he 
will  add  to  his  long  list  of  victories  the  most  diffi- 
cult and  most  consolatory  of  all,  —  the  conquest  of 
general  peace." 

The  first  feeling  that  prevailed  in  all  classes  of 
Viennese  society,  on  hearing  of  the  Archduchess's 
marriage,  was,  as  has  been  said,  one  of  surprise,  which 
soon  gave  way  to  almost  universal  joy.  Count  Met- 
ternich  wrote  to  Prince  Schwarzenberg  under  date 
of  February  19,  1810:  "It  would  be  difficult  to 
judge  at  a  distance  the  emotion  that  the  news  of 
the  marriage  has  aroused  here.  The  secret  of  the 
negotiations  had  been  so  well  kept,  that  it  was  not 
till  the  day  of  M.  de  Floret's  arrival  that  any  word 
of  it  came  to  the  ears  of  the  public.  The  first  effect 
on  'Change  was  such  that  the  currency  would  be 


THE  BETROTHAL.  89 


today  at  three  hundred  and  less,  if  the  government 
had  not  been  interested  in  keeping  it  higher,  and 
it  was  only  by  buying  a  million  of  specie  in  two 
days  that  it  succeeded  in  keeping  it  at  three  hundred 
and  seventy.  Seldom  has  anything  been  so  warmly 
approved  by  the  whole  nation." 

M.  de  Metternich  was  most  delighted,  and  took 
especial  satisfaction  in  the  thought  that  it  was  his 
work.  "All  Vienna,"  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  "is 
interested  in  nothing  but  this  marriage.  It  would 
be  hard  to  form  an  idea  of  the  public  feeling  about 
it,  and  of  its  extreme  popularity.  If  I  had  saved  the 
world,  I  could  not  receive  more  congratulations  or 
more  homage  for  the  part  I  am  supposed  to  have 
played  in  the  matter.  In  the  promotions  that  are  to 
follow  I  am  sure  to  have  the  Golden  Fleece.  If  it 
comes  to  me  now,  it  will  not  be  for  nothing ;  but  it 
is  none  the  less  true  that  it  required  a  very  extraor- 
dinary and  improbable  combination  of  circumstances 
to  set  me  far  beyond  my  most  ambitious  dreams, 
although  in  fact  I  have  no  ambitions.  All  the 
balls  and  entertainments  here  will  be  very  fine,  and 
although  everything  will  have  to  be  brought  from  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  everything  will  be  here.  I  sent  the 
order  of  arrangements  a  few  days  ago  to  Paris ; 
Schwarzenberg  will  have  shown  it  to  you.  The 
new  Empress  will  please  in  Paris,  and  she  ought  to 
please  with  her  kindness  and  her  great  gentleness  and 
simplicity.  Her  face  is  rather  plain  than  pretty,  but 
she  has  a  beautiful  figure,  and  when  she  is  properly 


90  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

dressed  and  put  into  shape,  she  will  do  very  well.  I 
have  begged  her  to  engage  a  dancing-master  as  soon 
as  she  arrives,  and  not  to  dance  until  she  has  learned 
how.  She  is  very  anxious  to  please,  and  that  is  the 
surest  way  of  pleasing." 

The  Austrian  court  did  everything  with  the  best 
possible  grace,  knowing  that  Napoleon  set  great  store 
by  the  details  of  etiquette.  Everything  was  exhumed 
from  the  archives  which  bore  on  the  weddings  of 
Louis  XIV.,  Louis  XV.,  the  great  Dauphin,  the  father 
of  Louis  XVL,  of  Louis  XVI.  himself.  The  old 
gentlemen  of  the  court  of  Versailles,  and  especially 
M.  de  Dreux-Bre*ze*,  the  master  of  ceremonies  at  the 
end  of  the  old  regime,  were  consulted  at  every  step. 
Napoleon  was  very  anxious  that  in  pomp  and  majesty 
the  wedding  of  Marie  Louise  should  not  only  be  quite 
equal,  but  even  superior  to  that  of  Marie  Antoinette, 
for  he  thought  himself  of  far  more  importance  than  a 
dauphin  of  France.  He  was  given  what  he  wanted. 
Speaking  of  the  Princess's  escort,  Count  Otto  said  in 
despatch  to  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  dated  February  19, 
1810 :  "  In  order  to  give  the  part  its  full  importance,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria  has  appointed  to  it  Prince  Traut- 
mannsdorff,  who  on  all  great  occasions  holds  the  high- 
est rank  in  the  kingdom.  The  Dauphiness  had  been 
accompanied  by  a  nobleman  of  no  very  lofty  posi- 
tion. Moreover,  the  Emperor  has  given  orders  to 
deepen  all  the  tints :  the  suite  of  the  Dauphiness  con- 
sisted of  six  ladies-in-waiting  and  six  chamberlains; 
the  future  Empress  will  have  twelve  of  each.  The 


THE  BETROTHAL.  91 

Emperor  will  choose  the  most  distinguished  and  best- 
known  personages  of  the  Empire  for  these  function- 
aries, and  the  Empress  has  reserved  for  herself  the 
right  of  naming  the  ladies  most  prominent  for  their 
old  families  and  their  position  in  society.  In  a  word, 
the  Minister  has  assured  me  that  no  pains  will  be 
spared  to  make  the  train  most  brilliant." 

Points  of  etiquette  kept  the  French  Ambassador 
very  busy.  He  wrote,  February  21,  1810,  to  the 
Duke  of  Cadore :  "  In  reading  carefully  the  historic 
summary  enclosed  in  Your  Excellency's  despatch,  I 
found  but  few  matters  requiring  comment,  but  these 
seemed  to  me  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  my 
calling  your  attention  to  them.  They  are  as  follows : 

"1.  Since  the  religious  ceremony  is  the  most  solemn, 
it  seems  that  it  is  here  that  the  distinction  between 
the  Dauphiness  and  the  new  Empress  should  be  most 
distinctly  marked.  The  first-named  sat  in  an  arm- 
chair, placed  in  front  of  the  altar,  but  without  a  can- 
opy, the  Queen  Marie  Leczinska,  daughter  of  King 
Stanislas,  having  a  place,  under  a  canopy,  between 
the  King  and  Queen  of  Poland. 

"2.  The  representative  and  personal  rank  of  His 
Highness  the  Prince  of  Neufchatel  being  much  higher 
than  that  of  the  Marquis  de  Durfort,  who  held  a 
similar  position  in  1770,  it  has  seemed  to  me  desirable 
to  make  the  reception  more  formal.  Count  Metter- 
nich  has  given  me  complete  satisfaction  on  both  these 
points.  He  has  told  me  that  the  Emperor  would  give 
the  most  positive  orders  to  pay  to  the  Empress  of 


92  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

France  the  same  honors  that  were  paid  to  the  Em- 
press of  Austria  at  the  celebration  of  the  last  mar- 
riage. The  canopy  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
royalty  will  be  assigned  to  the  new  Empress,  and 
the  Emperor  will  furthermore  make  a  concession  on 
this  occasion  which  is  without  precedent  in  the  annals 
of  the  realm :  at  table  he  will  resign  the  first  place 
to  his  daughter,  and  take  the  second  place  himself. 
Nothing  will  be  left  undone  to  give  these  ceremonies 
their  full  splendor  and  to  show  the  interest  with 
which  these  new  ties  are  regarded  here.  The  Em- 
peror is  so  well  pleased  with  this  alliance  that  he 
speaks  about  it  even  with  private  persons  who  have 
the  honor  to  be  admitted  to  his  presence.  He  loudly 
denounces  those  who  led  him  into  the  last  war,  and 
asserts  that  if  he  had  earlier  known  the  loyalty  and 
magnanimity  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  he  should 
have  been  on  his  guard  against  their  counsels." 

The  Viennese,  who  in  their  amiability  and  fickle- 
ness closely  resemble  the  Parisians,  passed  in  a 
moment  from  an  apparently  deep-seated  hatred  of 
Napoleon,  to  the  most  unbounded  confidence.  The 
still  bleeding  wounds  of  Wagram  were  forgotten; 
every  one  thought  of  nothing  but  the  brilliant  festi- 
vals that  were  preparing.  Smiles  took  the  place  of 
tears,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  French  and  the  Aus- 
trians  had  always  been  brothers. 

The  French  Ambassador  wrote  to  the  Duke  of 
Cadore,  February  21,  1810:  "Since  the  16th  the 
whole  city  has  thought  of  nothing  but  the  great 


rTHE  BETROTHAL.  93 

marriage  for  which  the  preparations  are  now  under 
way.  All  eyes  are  turned  on  the  Archduchess. 
Those  who  have  the  honor  of  being  admitted  to  her 
presence  are  closely  questioned,  and  every  one  is  glad 
to  hear  that  she  is  in  the  best  spirits,  and  does  not  try 
to  conceal  the  satisfaction  she  takes  in  this  alliance. 
Funds  continue  to  rise  in  a  surprising  way,  and  the 
price  of  food  is  falling  in  the  same  proportion.  A 
great  many  people  have  found  it  hard  to  sell  their 
gold.  Never  has  public  opinion  spoken  more  clearly 
or  more  unanimously.  A  great  many  people  who 
had  hoarded  their  silver  in  the  hope  of  selling  it  or 
of  sending  it  abroad,  are  now  carrying  it  to  the  mint, 
and  consider  the  government  paper  which  they  get 
for  it  as  good  as  gold.  The  stewards  of  great  houses 
are  ordering  new  silverware  to  take  the  place  of 
that  which  they  have  had  to  give  to  the  government. 
Every  one  shows  a  readiness  to  offer  all  his  fortune, 
being  convinced  that  after  such  an  alliance  the  gov- 
ernment cannot  fail  to  meet  its  engagements." 

The  Viennese  have  a  very  lively  imagination,  and 
bounding  from  one  extreme  to  another,  they  began 
to  form  visions  of  the  Austrians  waging  wars  of 
ambition  and  conquest  along  with  the  French.  They 
fancied  that  their  Emperor  and  his  son-in-law  would 
have  all  Europe  at  their  feet.  "The  greater  their 
enthusiasm  about  the  French,"  wrote  Count  Otto  in 
the  same  despatch,  "the  more  evident  the  old  ani- 
mosity of  the  Austrians  against  Prussia  and  Russia. 
The  coffee-house  politicians  are  already  busy  with 


94  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

devising  a  thousand  combinations  according  to  which 
the  Emperor  of  Austria  will  be  able  to  recover 
Silesia  and  to  extend  his  dominions  towards  the  east. 
The  disappointed  Russians,  of  whom  there  are  very 
many  here,  are  much  astonished  at  this  sudden 
change.  One  of  them  was  heard  to  say,  '  A  few  days 
ago  we  were  very  highly  thought  of  in  Vienna,  but 
now  the  French  are  adored,  and  everybody  wants  to 
make  war  on  us.'  Count  Shouvaloff  himself  keeps 
very  quiet.  Sensible  people  do  not  share  this  war- 
like feeling ;  they  want  a  general  peace,  and  bless  an 
alliance  which  seems  to  secure  it  for  a  few  years. 
In  their  eyes  even  a  successful  war  is  a  great 
calamity.  Peace,  too,  has  its  triumphs,  and  this  last 
negotiation  is  one  of  the  finest  known  to  history." 

The  official  G-azette,  which  was  eagerly  read  by  a 
noisy  multitude  in  the  streets  of  Vienna,  published 
the  official  announcement  of  the  great  news.  The 
number  of  February  24, 1810,  contained  the  following 
paragraph :  "  The  formal  betrothal  of  the  Emperor  of 
the  French,  King  of  Italy,  and  Her  Imperial  and 
Royal  Highness  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise,  the 
oldest  daughter  of  His  Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty, 
our  very  Gracious  Sovereign,  was  signed  at  Paris,  on 
the  7th,  by  the  Prince  Schwarzenberg,  Ambassador, 
and  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
The  exchange  of  ratifications  of  this  contract  took 
place  on  the  21st  of  this  month,  at  Vienna,  be- 
tween Count  Metternich  Winneburg,  Minister  of 
State  and  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  the  Imperial  Am- 


THE  BETROTHAL.  95 


bassador  of  France,  Count  Otto  de  Mesloy.  All 
the  nations  of  Europe  see  in  this  event  a  gage  of 
peace,  and  look  forward  with  delight  to  a  happy 
future  after  so  many  wars."  On  the  day  that  this 
paragraph  appeared  in  the  official  journal,  the  French 
Ambassador  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Cadore:  "The 
Emperor  loves  the  Princess,  and  is  very  happy  in  her 
brilliant  good  fortune.  It  is  long  since  he  has  seemed 
so  happy,  so  interested,  so  busy.  Everything  which 
furthers  the  sumptuousness  of  the  festivals  now  in 
preparation  is  a  matter  of  great  interest  to  him,  and 
all  his  subjects,  with  very  few  exceptions,  share  their 
sovereign's  amiable  anxiety." 

The  French  Ambassador  was  beside  himself  with 
delight ;  he  saw  everything  in  glowing  colors,  —  Marie 
Louise,  the  court,  all  Austria.  His  despatch  of  Feb- 
ruary 17  was  full  of  enthusiasm.  In  it  he  drew  with 
trembling  hand  the  portrait  of  the  august  lady,  and 
we  may  readily  conceive  the  eagerness  with  which 
Napoleon  must  have  devoured  it :  "  Every  one  agrees 
that  the  Archduchess  combines  with  a  very  amiable 
disposition  sound  sense  and  all  the  qualities  that 
can  be  given  by  a  careful  education.  She  is  liked  by 
all  at  court,  and  is  spoken  of  as  a  model  of  gentle- 
ness and  kindness.  She  has  a  fine  bearing,  yet  it  is 
perfectly  simple ;  she  is  modest  without  shyness ;  she 
can  converse  very  well  in  many  languages,  and  com- 
bines affability  with  dignity.  As  she  acquires  famil- 
iarity with  the  world,  which  is  all  very  new  to  her, 
her  fine  qualities  will  doubtless  develop  further,  and 


96  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

endow  her  whole  being  with  even  more  grace  and 
interest.  She  is  tall  and  well  made,  and  her  health 
is  excellent.  Her  features  seemed  to  me  regular  and 
full  of  sweetness." 

Even  the  Empress  of  Austria,  who  recently  had 
been  conspicuous  for  her  dislike  of  the  French,  so 
that  there  had  been  felt  some  dread  of  her  dissatisfac- 
tion, if  not  of  direct  opposition,  thoroughly  shared  her 
husband's  joy.  On  this  subject,  Count  Otto,  in  a 
despatch  of  February  19,  expressed  himself  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  Empress  shows  herself  extremely  favor- 
able to  this  marriage.  In  spite  of  her  wretched 
health  she  has  expressed  her  desire  to  be  present  at 
all  the  festivities,  and  she  takes  every  occasion  to 
speak  of  them  with  delight." 

The  Ambassador  carried  his  optimism  so  far  as  to 
look  upon  Marie  Antoinette's  marriage  as  a  happy 
precedent.  In  the  same  despatch  he  wrote  to  the 
Duke  of  Cadore :  "  The  names  of  Kaunitz  and 
Choiseul  are  on  every  one's  lips,  and  every  one  hopes 
to  see  a  renewal  of  the  peaceful  days  that  .followed 
the  alliance  concluded  by  those  two  ministers.  They 
had  both  been  ambassadors,  in  France,  and  in  Austria, 
exactly  like  Your  Excellency  and  Count  Metternich." 
The  French  diplomatist's  satisfaction  was  only 
equalled  by  the  vexation  of  the  Russian  Ambassador. 
"  The  Russian  coteries,"  added  Count  Otto,  "  are  the 
only  ones  that  take  no  part  in  the  general  rejoicing. 
When  the  news  reached  a  ball  at  a  Russian  house, 
the  violins  were  stopped  at  once,  and  a  great  many 


THE  BETROTHAL. 


of  the  guests  left  before  supper.  I  must  observe  that 
Count  Shouvaloff  has  not  come  to  offer  his  congratu- 
lations." The  good  humor  of  the  Viennese  grew 
from  day  to  day,  especially  in  business  circles.  The 
French  Ambassador  concluded  his  letter  thus  :  "  It  is 
at  the  Bourse  that  public  opinion  has  declared  itself 
in  the  most  amazing  way.  In  less  than  two  hours 
funds  went  up  thirty  per  cent.  A  feeling  of  security 
established  itself  and  at  once  affected  the  price  of 
imported  provisions,  which  immediately  began  to 
fall.  Yesterday  there  was  a  large  crowd  gathered 
at  the  palace  to  see  the  Archduchess  go  to  mass. 
The  populace  was  delighted  to  see  her  radiant  with 
health  and  happiness.  Two  artists  are  painting  her 
portrait.  The  better  one  will  be  sent  to  Paris." 
Everything  had  moved  smoothly  without  the  slightest 
jar.  "  In  the  whole  course  of  the  negotiation,"  Count 
Otto  had  written,  February  17,  "I  have  not  heard 
a  word  about  any  pecuniary  consideration,  or  the 
slightest  objection  except  as  to  the  legality  of  the 
divorce.  A  mere  word  from  me  was  sufficient  to 
overcome  that."  Consequently  nothing  troubled  the 
composure  of  the  happy  Ambassador. 


V. 

THE  RELIGIOUS  DIFFICULTY. 

THE  marriage  was  officially  announced,  when 
suddenly  an  incident  arose  which  caused  the 
greatest  anxiety  to  Napoleon's  ambassador,  and 
threatened,  if  not  to  prevent,  at  least  to  delay,  the 
wedding.  The  unexpected  difficulty  which  arose  at 
the  last  moment  was  of  a  religious  nature,  and  in  a 
court  as  pious  as  that  of  Austria  it  could  not  fail  to 
make  a  very  deep  impression. 

Even  in  Paris,  the  annulment  of  the  religious 
marriage  ceremony  of  Napoleon  and  Josephine  had 
aroused  serious  objections,  and  the  Emperor  had 
shown  much  surprise  when  he  was  told  by  his  uncle, 
Cardinal  Fesch,  the  Grand  Almoner,  that  there  were 
obstacles  in  the  way.  In  a  matter  of  this  sort,  which 
concerns  crowned  heads,  and  is  inspired  by  reasons 
of  state,  it  is  the  Pope  who  must  make  the  decision. 
Louis  XII.  had  secured  the  dissolution  of  his  mar- 
riage with  Jane  of  France  from  Pope  Alexander  VI. 
Henry  IV.  had  applied  to  Pope  Clement  VIII.  to 
annul  his  marriage  with  Margaret  of  Valois.  Napo- 
leon himself  had  likewise  had  recourse,  though  with- 

98 


THE  RELIGIOUS  DIFFICULTY. 


out  success,  to  Pope  Pius  VII.,  in  the  matter  of 
his  brother  Jerome's  marriage  with  Miss  Paterson. 
Now,  when  the  Pope  was  his  prisoner,  Napoleon 
could  not  apply  to  him  ;  and  since  the  sovereign  pon- 
tiff had  taken  part  in  the  coronation  of  the  Empress 
Josephine,  and  profoundly  sympathized  with  her, 
could  he  dare  to  say,  like  the  diocesan  officials  of 
Paris,  that  she,  from  the  religious  point  of  view,  was 
only  the  Emperor's  mistress  ? 

At  the  beginning  of  1810  there  was  an  ecclesiastic 
commission,  consisting  of  Cardinal  Fesch,  President  ; 
Cardinal  Maury,  famous  at  the  time  of  the  Constitu- 
ent Assembly,  and  later,  one  of  the  Imperial  court- 
iers; the  Archbishop  of  Tours;  the  bishops  of 
Nantes,  Trdves,  Evreux,  and  Verceil  ;  and  the  Abbe* 
Emery,  Superior  of  the  Seminary  of  Saint  Sulpice. 
The  Emperor  put  to  this  committee  the  question 
whether  the  diocesan  officials  were  competent  to 
proceed  to  the  canonical  dissolution  of  his  mar- 
riage with  Josephine. 

January  2,  1810,  the  committee  decided  that  the 
diocesan  officials  were  competent,  but  neither  Cardi- 
nal Fesch  nor  the  Abbe*  Emery  signed  the  report. 
The  Cardinal  could  not  forget  that  it  was  he  who, 
by  the  special  authorization  of  Pius  VII.,  had,  on  the 
night  of  December  1-2,  1804,  given  to  the  couple  the 
nuptial  blessing. 

The  very  day  that  the  Ecclesiastical  Committee 
had  affirmed  the  competence  of  the  diocesan  officials, 
it  received  from  the  Archchancellor  Cambace'res  a 


100  TSE  EMPHE88  MARIE  LOUISE. 

petition  stating  that  the  nuptial  blessing  given  to 
Napoleon  and  Josephine  had  not  been  preceded, 
accompanied,  or  followed  by  the  formalities  pre- 
scribed by  the  Canon  laws ;  that  is  to  say,  it  lacked 
the  presence  of  the  proper  priest  —  as  the  parish 
priest  was  termed  —  and  of  witnesses.  To  these 
two  grounds  for  annulment  a  third  was  added,  a 
new  one,  which  could  not  fail  to  surprise  the  offi- 
cials. It  was  one  which  in  general  is  applicable  only 
to  a  minor,  wrought  upon  by  surprise  and  violence ; 
namely,  lack  of  consent,  —  yes,  lack  of  the  Emperor's 
consent.  Napoleon  saw  very  clearly  that  the  first 
two  points  were  mere  quibbles,  and  that  the  moment 
when  he  intended  that  his  uncle,  the  Grand  Almoner, 
should  bless  his  marriage  with  Marie  Louise,  was,  to 
say  the  least,  a  singular  one  to  choose  for  denounc- 
ing his  incapacity  for  consecrating  his  union  with 
Josephine.  As  to  the  absence  of  witnesses,  that  is 
to  be  explained  as  due  to  a  special  dispensation  of 
the  Pope,  who  wished  to  avoid  the  scandal  of  an- 
nouncing to  the  whole  world  that  Napoleon,  who 
had  been  married  by  civil,  but  not  by  religious  rites, 
had  in  the  eyes  of  the  Church  been  living  for  eight 
years  in  concubinage,  in  spite  of  the  entreaties  of  the 
Empress  to  put  an  end  to  a  state  of  things  which 
pained  her  conscience  and  filled  her  with  constant 
dread  of  divorce.  The  Emperor  consequently  laid 
the  chief  weight  on  his  lack  of  consent.  Count 
d'Haussonville  in  his  remarkable  book,  The  Church 
of  Home  and  the  First  Empire,  says  on  this  subject : 


THE  RELIGIOUS  DIFFICULTY.  101 

"Setting  aside  the  religious  feeling  with  regard  to 
the  sanctity  of  marriage,  it  is  hard  to  understand 
how  such  a  man  could  have  been  willing  to  repre- 
sent himself  as  having  desired,  on  the  eve  of  this 
great  ceremony  of  consecration,  to  deceive  at  the 
same  time  his  uncle  who  married  him,  his  wife  whom 
he  seemed  pleased  to  associate  with  his  glory,  and 
the  venerable  pontiff  who,  in  spite  of  his  age  and 
infirmities,  had  come  from  a  long  distance,  to  call 
down  upon  him  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High.  This 
argument  offended  not  only  every  feeling  of  deli- 
cacy, but  also  the  plainest  principles  of  honest  and 
fair  dealing." 

The  officials  were  not  moved  by  such  scruples. 
They  exercised  a  twofold  jurisdiction,  —  as  a  diocesan 
and  as  a  metropolitan  tribunal,  — and  both  affirmed  the 
nullity  of  the  marriage.  The  metropolitan  tribunal, 
while  admitting  the  first  two  grounds,  —  namely,  the 
absence  of  witnesses  and  of  the  proper  priest,  —  based 
its  decision  principally  on  the  non-consent  of  the 
Emperor.  The  diocesan  tribunal  had  declared  that 
to  atone  for  the  infringement  of  the  laws  of  the 
Church,  Napoleon  and  Josephine  should  be  compelled 
to  bestow  a  sum  of  money  to  the  poor  of  the  parish 
of  Notre  Dame.  The  metropolitan  tribunal  struck 
this  clause  out  as  disrespectful. 

This  decision  was  sent  to  Count  Otto,  the  French 
Ambassador  at  Vienna ;  in  fact,  the  original  draft  of 
the  two  papers,  that  is  to  say,  the  judgment  of  the 
metropolitan  tribunal,  was  forwarded  to  him.  The 


102  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Ambassador  spoke  about  it  to  the  Emperor  Francis,  to 
satisfy  that  monarch's  scruples,  but  he  did  not  show 
him  the  papers  themselves,  and  three  days  after  the 
ratification  of  the  marriage  contract  he  sent  them 
back  to  Paris.  "  I  confess,"  he  wrote  to  the  Duke  of 
Cadore,  in  his  despatch  of  February  28,  1810,  "that 
in  returning  these  papers  so  speedily  to  Paris,  I  had 
a  presentiment  of  the  discussion  which  they  might 
cause  among  the  foreign  ecclesiastics.  Everything 
was  settled,  the  Emperor  of  Austria  was  satisfied,  the 
marriage  contract  was  ratified,  the  ratification  of  the 
marriage  had  been  exchanged  for  three  days,  when 
the  first  mention  was  made  of  these  documents  which 
have  aroused  the  curiosity  and  interest  of  some  too 
influential  prelates.  I  am  the  more  authorized  to  say 
that  no  one  had  before  that  thought  of  these  papers, 
by  the  fact  that  the  Minister,  when  on  the  15th  he 
asked  me  to  give  him,  on  my  honor,  my  personal 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  nullity  of  His  Majesty's 
first  marriage,  would  not  have  failed  to  add  that  he 
had  asked  for  proof  from  the  Prince  of  Schwarzen- 
berg,  and  that  he  awaited  his  reply.  My  declaration 
was  sufficient  to  determine  the  ratification  of  the 
contract  on  the  next  day." 

Whence  came  these  tardy  scruples,  this  unexpected 
delay  ?  What  had  happened  ?  The  objections  did 
not  come  from  the  Emperor  Francis,  or  from  Count 
Metternich,  but  from  a  priest,  the  Archbishop  of 
Vienna,  who  was  to  celebrate  the  marriage  by  proxy 
in  the  Church  of  the  Augustins  in  Vienna.  This 


THE  RELIGIOUS  DIFFICULTY.  103 

prelate,  who  shared  all  the  opinions  of  the  French 
e'migre's,  and  had  much  more  respect  for  the  Pope 
than  for  Napoleon,  deemed  it  his  duty  to  examine  for 
himself  the  judgment  of  the  Parisian  authorities, 
and  stoutly  demanded  the  originals.  This  filled  the 
French  Ambassador  with  despair,  and  he  wrote  to  the 
Duke  of  Cadore  in  great  distress :  "  For  three  days 
the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  has  been  in  negotiation 
with  the  Archbishop,  trying  to  overcome  his  scruples 
with  regard  to  the  nullity  of  the  first  marriage  of  His 
Majesty.  This  prelate  persists  in  saying  to-day  that 
he  cannot  give  the  nuptial  blessing  until  he  has  seen 
the  document  which  I  have  sent  back  to  Your  Excel- 
lency, of  which,  too,  M.  de  Metternich  did  not  speak 
in  the  course  of  our  negotiations.  It  is  very  strange 
that  since  the  Archbishop  was  consulted  some  time 
ago,  no  mention  was  made  to  me  of  his  scruples.  I 
have  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  did  nothing 
until  he  heard  that  I  had  received  documents,  the 
validity  of  which  he  might  discuss.  Now  the  French 
clergy  will  hardly  care  to  submit  its  decision  to  a 
foreign  prelate.  Your  Excellency's  intention  has 
been  to  satisfy  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  the  only 
authority  which,  in  a  question  of  this  importance,  we 
can  consider  competent,  because  it  concerns  the  lot 
of  his  daughter.  What  would  happen,  sir,  if  this 
prelate,  adopting  other  principles  than  those  which 
determined  the  judgment  of  our  officials,  should  pre- 
sume to  invalidate  them  ?  How  can  we  submit  to  a 
new  discussion  of  a  treaty  ratified  before  the  eyes  of 


104  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

all  Europe,  and  made  public  by  the  order  of  the  Em- 
peror of  Austria  himself  ?  May  we  not  suppose  that 
the  Archbishop,  who  in  the  first  instance  approved  of 
this  alliance,  to-day  is  moved  only  by  scruples  and 
inspired  by  a  foreign  faction  which  is  ready  to  seize 
any  pretext  to  oppose  the  genius  of  peace?  I  am 
told  that  the  former  Bishop  of  Carcassonne  is  living 
with  the  Archbishop.  Possibly  the  Nuncio,  who  is 
still  here,  has  brought  some  influence  to  bear  on  this 
occasion.  That  there  is  something  of  the  sort  behind 
it  all  is  proved  by  the  prominence  that  some  of  the 
intriguers  give  to  an  alleged  excommunication  of  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  by  the  Pope.  Count  Metter- 
nich  assures  me  that  both  the  Nuncio  and  the  Arch- 
bishop disclaim  all  knowledge  of  any  obstacle  of  this 
sort.  The  Emperor  himself,  who  is  keenly  alive  to 
the  insult  to  crowned  heads  which  it  implies,  repels 
the  indecent  objection  with  the  scorn  which  it  de- 
serves. 

"  The  Minister  has  had  many  fruitless  interviews 
with  the  Archbishop,  who  seems  to  wish  to  lay  the 
matter  before  his  tribunal.  The  Emperor  himself  is 
very  uneasy ;  they  are  trying  to  gain  time,  and  are 
to-day  very  anxious  lest  the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel 
should  arrive  too  soon.  If  he  should  not  get  here 
till  the  3d  of  March,  they  will  manage  to  postpone 
the  nuptial  blessing  till  the  llth,  when  it  is  hoped 
that  the  documents  will  have  come  back  again.  But 
even  in  this  case,  the  Ambassador  Extraordinary  will 
need  all  the  firmness  of  his  character  to  overrule  this 


THE  RELIGIOUS  DIFFICULTY.  105 

cabal  which  brings  uneasiness  to  the  Emperor's  fam- 
ily and  uses  the  Archbishop  as  a  tool.  I  have  done 
everything  that  I  could  to  impress  upon  the  Minister 
how  much  the  present  state  of  affairs  compromises 
the  dignity  of  our  court.  He  has  shown  me  a  list  of 
questions  presented  by  the  Archbishop,  which  it  is 
impossible  to  answer  without  seeming  to  recognize  a 
tribunal  with  which  we  ought  to  have  nothing  to  do. 
Never  has  so  important  a  negotiation  been  hampered 
by  a  stranger  incident."  (Despatch  of  Count  Otto 
to  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  February  28,  1810.) 

The  Ambassador  was  in  great  perplexity,  and  he 
would  have  been  much  more  uneasy  if  the  documents 
demanded  had  been  in  his  possession.  In  fact,  would 
he  have  been  justified  in  submitting  to  a  foreign 
ecclesiastical  tribunal  papers  which  he  could  only 
show  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  to  remove  that  sov- 
ereign's personal  objections  ?  Count  Metternich  had 
told  the  Ambassador,  February  24,  that  the  ceremony 
would  take  place  in  spite  of  the  Archbishop's  objec- 
tion, but  the  next  day  M.  de  Metternich  was  con- 
vinced that  he  was  mistaken. 

In  order  to  gain  time,  Count  Otto  had  written  to 
Napoleon's  Ambassador  Extraordinary,  the  Prince  of 
Neufch&tel,  to  ask  him  to  delay  his  arrival  at  Vienna 
until  March  4.  The  carnival  would  end  with  bril- 
liant festivities,  for  which  great  preparations  were 
making.  Ash  Wednesday  and  the  three  following 
days  would  be  consecrated  to  devotion ;  and  on  the 
llth  the  church  ceremonies  would  take  place,  if,  as 


106  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

was  hoped,  the  required  documents  should  have 
arrived  from  Paris. 

After  a  few  days  of  uncertainty,  as  painful  for  the 
court  of  Vienna  as  for  the  French  Ambassador,  the 
difficulties  began  to  settle  themselves.  Count  Otto 
wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  March  3,  1810 :  "  My 
long  silence  must  have  surprised  Your  Excellency, 
but  it  was  caused  by  the  strangest  circumstances  that 
I  have  known  for  many  years.  ...  It  is  only  to-day 
that  we  are  secure  from  the  attack  of  the  ecclesiastical 
committee,  and  from  its  scruples.  Seven  long  days 
and  nights  have  been  spent  in  ransacking  the  vol- 
umes of  the  Moniteur  and  the  Official  Bulletin  in 
order  to  prove  the  nullity  of  His  Majesty  the  Em- 
peror's first  marriage.  Nothing  could  pacify  the 
alarmed  conscience  of  the  Archbishop.  At  first  I 
refused,  and  held  out  for  twenty-four  hours.  After 
protracted  discussion,  and  insisting  on  a  complete 
recasting  of  the  paper  which  I  was  desired  to  sign, 
I  to-day  consented  to  hand  in  the  paper,  of  which  I 
have  the  honor  to  enclose  a  copy,  but  on  the  express 
condition,  which  I  have  under  the  minister's  signa- 
ture, that  it  is  only  to  be  shown  to  the  Archbishop 
and  in  no  case  to  be  made  public." 

This  is  the  text  of  the  paper  mentioned  by  Count 
Otto :  "  I,  the  undersigned,  Ambassador  of  his  Maj- 
esty the  Emperor  of  the  French,  affirm  that  I  have 
seen  and  read  the  originals  of  the  two  decisions  of 
the  two  diocesan  official  boards,  concerning  the  mar- 
riage between  their  Majesties,  the  Emperor  and  the 


THE  EELIGIOUS  DIFFICULTY.  107 

Empress  Josephine,  and  that  it  follows  from  these 
decisions  that,  in  conformity  with  the  Catholic  eccle- 
siastical laws  established  in  the  French  Empire,  the 
said  marriage  has  been  declared  null  and  void,  be- 
cause at  the  celebration  of  this  marriage  the  most 
essential  formalities  required  by  the  laws  of  the 
Church,  and  always  regarded  in  France  as  necessary 
for  the  validity  of  a  Catholic  marriage,  had  been 
omitted.  I  affirm,  moreover,  that  in  conformity  with 
the  civic  laws  in  existence  at  the  time  of  the  cele- 
bration of  this  marriage,  every  conjugal  union  was 
founded  on  the  principle  that  it  could  be  dissolved 
by  the  consent  of  the  contracting  parties.  In  testi- 
mony whereof  I  have  signed  the  present  declaration, 
and  have  set  my  seal  to  it." 

In  his  despatch  of  March  3,  1810,  the  Ambassador 
said,  in  speaking  of  the  document  just  cited :  "  The 
only  thing  that  persuaded  me  to  adopt  this  course 
was  the  conviction  that  the  Archbishop  would  not 
consent  to  pronounce  the  blessing  until  he  had  seen 
the  two  decisions;  and  it  appeared  to  me  very  dan- 
gerous to  expose  these  two  documents  to  the  whims 
of  an  old  man  who  was  controlled  by  two  refugee 
priests.  At  any  rate,  this  method  has  proved  suc- 
cessful, and  the  delay  in  the  Prince  of  Neufch&tePs 
arrival  prevents  the  public  from  forming  any  sus- 
picions about  this  discussion  which  has  given  us  so 
much  anxiety.  The  Archbishop  is  satisfied ;  all  the 
ceremonies  will  take  place  according  to  the  pro- 
gramme, except  the  interruption  due  to  the  heavy 


108  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

roads.  The  wedding  will  take  place  March  11 ;  and 
to  make  up  the  time  lost,  the  Archduchess  will 
travel  a  little  faster,  and  can  easily  reach  Paris  by 
the  27th.  Now  the  postponement  of  the  nuptial 
blessing  can  be  ascribed  only  to  the  circumstances 
which  have  prolonged  the  journey  of  the  Prince  of 
Neufcha'tel.  In  Lent  Sunday  is  considered  the  only 
proper  day  for  weddings  ;  and  since  Ash  Wednesday 
is  so  near,  the  religious  ceremony  cannot  possibly 
take  place  before  the  llth." 

The  last  difficulties  had  vanished,  and  the  festiv- 
ities were  free  to  begin. 


VI. 

THE  AMBASSADOR   EXTRAORDINARY. 

IN  Vienna  the  animation  was  very  great.  The 
great  event  which  was  now  in  preparation  was 
the  sole  subject  of  conversation  in  all  classes  of  so- 
ciety. "  The  ceremonies  and  the  festivities,"  the 
French  Ambassador  wrote,  March  2,  1810,  "will  be 
in  every  respect  the  same  as  those  that  took  place  at 
the  marriage  of  the  Emperor  with  the  present  Em- 
press. Every  inhabitant  of  Vienna  is  doing  his  utmost 
to  testify  his  joy  on  this  occasion.  Painters  are  at 
work  night  and  day  on  transparencies  and  designs. 
The  festivities  will  be  thoroughly  national.  Every 
morning  thousands  of  people  station  themselves 
before  the  palace  to  see  the  Archduchess  pass  by  on 
her  way  to  mass.  Her  portraits  are  in  constant  de- 
mand. The  Emperor  and  the  archdukes  never  miss 
a  ball ;  they  are  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  maskers 
who  say  a  number  of  pleasant  things  to  them,  and  it 
really  appears  as  if  this  alliance  had  added  to  the 
Emperor's  already  great  popularity."  The  next  day, 
March  3,  Count  Otto  wrote:  "I  to-day  presented  the 
Count  of  Narbonne  to  the  Emperor,  the  Empress,  and 

109 


110  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

the  Archduchess,  and  I  profited  by  the  occasion  to 
strengthen  my  conviction  of  the  joy  which  the  Count 
feels  at  this  happy  alliance.  The  Empress  spoke 
with  the  greatest  warmth  of  her  step-daughters, 
conversed  with  a  keen  interest  about  France,  Paris, 
and  what  she  hopes  to  cultivate  in  that  interesting 
city." 

It  was  with  impatience  that  was  awaited  the  arri- 
val of  the  Ambassador  Extraordinary,  who  had  been 
chosen  by  the  Emperor  of  the  French  to  make  the 
formal  demand  for  the  hand  of  the  Archduchess,  to 
attend  to  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  which  was  to 
be  celebrated  by  proxy  at  the  Church  of  the  Augustins 
in  Vienna,  and  to  escort  the  bride  to  France.  This 
Ambassador  Extraordinary  was  Marshal  Berthier, 
sovereign  Prince  of  Neufchatel,  the  husband  of  the 
Princess  Marie  Elizabeth  Amelia  Frances  of  Bavaria, 
Vice-Constable  of  France,  Master  of  the  Hounds, 
commander  of  the  first  cohort  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor,  etc.,  etc.  The  most  brilliant  reception  was 
prepared  for  him.  Count  Otto  wrote  to  the  Duke  of 
Cadore,  February  21, 1810  :  "  As  to  the  honors  which 
I  have  considered  due  to  His  Most  Serene  Highness, 
the  Prince  of  Neufchatel,  Count  Metternich  assures 
me  that  he  regarded  him  not  merely  as  Ambassador 
Extraordinary,  but  as  a  Sovereign  Prince,  a  great 
dignitary  of  the  Empire,  as  a  friend  and  fellow-sol- 
dier of  the  Emperor;  that  there  would  be  no  more 
comparison  between  him  and  the  Marquis  of  Durfort 
than  between  the  future  Empress  and  the  Dau- 


THE  AMBASSADOR  EXTRAORDINARY.         Ill 

phiness ;  and  that  consequently  Prince  Paul  Ester- 
hazy  had  been  designated  to  proceed  to  the  frontier 
to  congratulate  His  Highness  ;  and  that,  moreover,  an 
Imperial  Commissary  would  be  sent  to  look  after  his 
journey,  and  to  see  that  proper  honor  was  paid  to 
him  on  the  way ;  that  he  would  be  lodged  and  enter- 
tained by  the  court,  and  that  pains  would  be  taken  to 
furnish  him  with  everything  he  might  require ;  for  in 
such  a  severe  season,  at  so  brief  a  notice,  he  could  not 
possibly  have  supplied  himself  with  all  the  articles  he 
needed." 

The  Prince  of  Neufchatel's  formal  entrance  into 
Vienna  was  accompanied  with  great  pomp.  Count 
Otto  thus  describes  it  in  his  despatch  of  March  6, 
1810  :  "  The  Prince  of  Neufchatel  has  just  made  his 
entrance.  The  ceremony  was  most  magnificent.  The 
court  had  despatched  their  finest  carriages,  and  the 
highest  noblemen  sent  their  equipages  in  their  grand- 
est array.  The  Prince  lacked  only  couriers  and  foot- 
men. I  had  twelve  of  my  servants  accompanying 
his  carriage,  all  in  the  Emperor's  grand  livery.  The 
sovereign  himself  could  not  have  had  a  warmer  wel- 
come, or  one  more  sumptuous  and  enthusiastic  than 
did  our  Ambassador  Extraordinary,  and  the  con- 
trast with  many  fresh  memories  made  the  spectacle 
a  very  touching  one.  To  shorten  the  Prince's  trium- 
phal march  from  the  summer  palace  of  Schwarzen- 
berg  to  the  Karthnerstrasse,  many  thousand  work- 
men had  been  busily  throwing  a  bridge  over  the 
very  fortifications  that  our  soldiers  had  blown  up. 


112  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Cheers  and  applause  accompanied  the  Vice-Constable 
to  the  door  of  the  Audience  Chamber,  and  from 
there  to  his  house.  The  court  has  given  him  most 
sumptuous  quarters  in  the  Imperial  Chancellor's 
offices,  where  he  is  treated  like  the  Emperor  him- 
self." 

Count  Otto  in  the  same  despatch  thus  describes 
the  evening  of  that  brilliant  10th  of  March,  1810  : 
"  That  evening  there  was  a  grand  ball  in  the  Hall  of 
Apollo ;  the  whole  city  was  there.  The  Prince  was 
greeted  as  enthusiastically  as  in  the  morning.  The 
Emperor  himself  was  present,  together  with  the 
Archdukes,  and  received  the  congratulations  and 
blessings  of  a  populace  beside  itself  with  joy.  The 
Prince  scarcely  left  the  Emperor,  who  talked  with 
him  most  amiably  and  most  cordially.  The  Emperor 
and  the  Vice-Constable  attracted  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  multitude  that  surrounded  them,  and  every 
one  rejoiced  to  see  the  friend  and  fellow-soldier  of 
Napoleon  by  the  side  of  the  ruler  of  Austria.  It 
was  noticed  that  this  was  the  first  appearance  of 
the  Archduke  Charles  in  the  Hall  of  Apollo  along 
with  the  Emperor ;  he  will  figure  in  the  marriage 
ceremony,  and  shows  the  liveliest  satisfaction  in  the 
event.  The  Vice-Constable  was  charmed  with  the 
Prince's  conversation,  and  is  going  to  dine  with  him 
to-morrow." 

General  the  Count  of  Lauriston  had  just  arrived 
in  Vienna,  bringing  letters  from  Napoleon  to  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  Austria.  We  have  found 


THE  AMBASSADOR  EXTRAORDINARY.        113 

the  replies  in  the  archives  of  the  Ministry  of  Foreign 
Affairs.  They  are  as  follows :  — 

The  letter  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria  to  the  Em- 
peror of  the  French  :  — 

"March  6,  1810.  MY  BROTHER:  General  the 
Count  of  Lauriston  has  given  to  me  Your  Imperial 
Majesty's  letter  of  February  23.  Entrusting  to  your 
hands,  my  brother,  the  fate  of  my  beloved  daughter, 
I  give  to  Your  Majesty  the  strongest  possible  proof 
that  I  could  give  of  my  confidence  and  esteem. 
There  are  moments  when  the  holiest  of  the  affec- 
tions outweighs  every  other  consideration  which  is 
foreign  to  it.  May  Your  Imperial  Majesty  find 
nothing  in  this  letter  but  the  feelings  of  a  father, 
attached,  by  eighteen  years  of  pleasant  intercourse, 
to  a  daughter  whom  Providence  has  endowed  with 
all  the  qualities  that  constitute  domestic  happiness. 
Though  called  far  away  from  me,  she  will  continue 
to  be  worthy  of  my  most  enduring  affections  only  by 
contributing  to  the  felicity  of  the  husband  whose 
throne  she  is  to  share,  and  to  the  happiness  of  his 
subjects.  You  will  kindly  receive  the  assurance  of 
my  sincere  friendship,  as  well  as  of  the  high  consid- 
eration with  which  I  am,  my  brother,  Your  Imperial 
and  Royal  Majesty's  affectionate  brother  FRANCIS." 

The  letter  of  the  Empress  of  Austria  to  the  Em- 
peror Napoleon :  — 

"  March  6,  1810.  MY  BROTHER  :  I  hasten  to  thank 
Your  Imperial  Majesty  for  the  many  proofs  of  con- 
fidence contained  in,  the  letter  which  Your  Majesty 


114  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

has  kindly  sent  to  me  through  the  Count  of  Lauriston. 
The  tender  attachment  of  the  best  of  fathers  for  a 
beloved  child  has  had  no  need  of  counsels.  Our 
wishes  are  the  same.  I  share  his  confidence  in  the 
happiness  of  Your  Majesty  and  of  our  daughter.  But 
it  is  from  me  that  Your  Imperial  Majesty  must  receive 
the  assurance  of  the  many  qualities  of  mind  and  heart 
that  distinguish  the  latter.  What  might  seem  the 
exaggerated  affection  of  a  father  cannot  be  suspected 
from  the  pen  of  a  stepmother.  Be  sure,  my  brother, 
that  my  happiest  days  will  be  those  that  come  to 
you  in  consequence  of  the  alliance  that  is  about  to 
unite  us.  Accept  the  friendship  and  high  esteem 
with  which  I  am  Your  Imperial  Majesty's  affectionate 
sister  MARIE  LOUISE." 

The  different  provinces  of  the  Empire  sent  depu- 
tations to  Vienna  to  bear  their  good  wishes  to  the 
Archduchess.  They  were  received  on  the  6th  of 
March,  and  the  ceremony  was  thus  described  by 
Count  Otto :  "  Yesterday's  festival  was  very  brilliant: 
In  the  morning,  the  deputations  of  the  Austrian 
states  drove,  in  a  procession  of  more  than  thirty 
carriages,  to  the  Palace  to  pay  their  compliments 
to  the  Archduchess,  who  received  them  under  a 
canopy.  In  spite  of  the  shyness  natural  to  her  youth, 
the  Princess  replied  to  them  in  a  speech  which 
amazed  and  touched  her  hearers.  She  is  likewise 
to  receive  deputations  from  Hungary,  Bohemia,  and 
Moravia.  It  is  thought  that  to  the  first  she  will 
reply  in  Latin.  At  one  o'clock  we  went  to  the 


THE  AMBASSADOR  EXTEAOEDINAET.        115 

Palace  to  dine  with  their  Majesties  and  the  Imperial 
family.  The  only  guests  were  the  Prince  Vice- 
Constable,  the  Count  of  Lauriston,  and  myself.  The 
Empress  was  in  better  health,  and  more  affable  than 
I  have  ever  seen  her.  The  two  Ambassadors  took 
precedence  of  the  Archduchess.  The  Prince  Vice- 
Constable  was  placed  at  the  Empress's  left,  and  I  sat 
at  the  Archduchess's  right;  the  Emperor  sat  in  the 
middle  and  took  part  in  the  conversation  on  both 
sides.  This  conversation  was  very  animated.  The 
Archduchess  asked  a  good  many  questions  which 
displayed  the  soundness  of  her  tastes."  According 
to  the  Ambassador's  despatch,  these  were  the  ques- 
tions which  Marie  Louise  asked :  "  Is  the  Napoleon 
Museum  near  enough  to  the  Tuileries  for  me  to  go 
there  and  study  the  antiques  and  monuments  it 
contains  ?  "  "  Does  the  Emperor  like  music  ?  "  "  Shall 
I  be  able  to  have  a  teacher  on  the  harp?  It  is  an 
instrument  I  am  very  fond  of."  "The  Emperor  is 
so  kind  to  me  ;  doubtless  he  will  let  me  have  a  botan- 
ical garden.  Nothing  would  please  me  more."  "I 
am  told  that  the  country  around  Fontainebleau  is 
very  wild  and  picturesque.  I  like  nothing  better 
than  beautiful  scenery."  "  I  am  very  grateful  to  the 
Emperor  for  letting  me  take  Madame  Lazansky  with 
me,  and  for  choosing  the  Duchess  of  Montebello; 
they  are  two  excellent  women."  "  I  hope  the  Em- 
peror will  be  considerate ;  I  don't  know  how  to 
dance  quadrilles ;  but  if  he  desires  it,  I  will  take 
dancing-lessons."  "Do  you  think  Humboldt  will 


116  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

soon  finish  the  account  of  his  travels  ?,  I  have  read 
all  that  has  appeared  with  great  interest." 

Count  Otto  adds,  in  his  faithful  report:  "I  told 
Her  Imperial  Highness  that  the  Emperor  was  anxious 
to  know  her  tastes  and  ways.  She  told  me  that  she 
was  easily  pleased ;  that  her  tastes  were  very  simple ; 
that  she  was  able  to  adapt  herself  to  anything,  and 
would  do  her  best  to  conform  to  His  Majesty's  wishes, 
her  only  desire  being  to  please  him.  ...  I  must  say, 
that  during  the  whole  hour  of  my  interview  with  Her 
Imperial  Highness,  she  did  not  once  speak  of  the 
Paris  fashions  or  theatres." 

That  evening  there  was  a  ball  at  which  the  Emperor 
was  present  with  his  whole  family,  and  the  Ambas- 
sador thus  describes  the  occasion:  "More  than  six 
thousand  persons,  of  all  ranks,  were  invited  by  the 
court,  and  they  filled  two  immense  halls  which  were 
richly  decorated  and  illuminated.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  hall  there  was  a  most  magnificent  sideboard,  in 
the  shape  of  a  temple  lit  by  a  thousand  ingeniously 
hidden  lamps.  The  Genius  of  Victory,  surmounting 
an  altar,  was  placing  a  laurel  wreath  on  the  escutch- 
eons of  the  bride  and  groom.  The  N  and  L  were 
displayed  in  all  the  decoration  of  the  columns  and 
pediments.  To  the  right,  a  tent  made  of  French 
flags  covered  a  sideboard  laden  with  refreshments; 
and  on  the  left  there  was  another  under  a  tent  made 
of  Austrian  flags.  There  were  large  tables  in  the 
neighboring  rooms,  covered  with  food  for  the  citizens 
who  regarded  it  as  an  important  duty  to  pledge  the 


THE  AMBASSADOR  EXTRAORDINARY.        117 

health  of  the  Imperial  couple  in  Tokay.  The  Arch- 
duchess, who  had  never  been  to  a  ball  before  in  her 
life,  passed  through  every  room  on  the  Emperor's 
arm.  She  was  most  warmly  cheered,  and  the  crowd 
followed  her  with  a  joyous  enthusiasm  that  can 
scarcely  be  described.  This  ball  presented  the  most 
perfect  combination  of  grandeur,  wealth,  and  good 
taste ;  it  was  further  remarkable  for  the  bond  of 
fraternity  which  seemed  to  unite  the  two  nations." 
The  next  day  but  one,  March  8,  the  formal  demand 
for  the  hand  of  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  was 
made  at  the  Palace,  with  great  pomp,  by  Marshal 
Berthier,  Prince  of  Neufch&tel.  As  soon  as  he  had 
delivered  his  speech,  the  Archduchess  entered  in 
magnificent  attire,  accompanied  by  all  the  members 
of  the  household.  Count  Anatole  de  Montesquieu, 
an  orderly  officer  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  had  just 
arrived  in  Vienna,  bringing  a  miniature  portrait  of 
his  sovereign.  This  officer  was  to  be  present  at  the 
wedding,  and  to  take  to  Paris  the  first  news  of  its 
conclusion.  As  soon  as  the  Archduchess  appeared, 
the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel  offered  her  Napoleon's  por- 
trait, which  she  at  once  had  fastened  on  the  front  of 
her  dress  by  the  Mistress  of  the  Robes.  The  Ambas- 
sador Extraordinary  then  went  to  the  apartments  of 
the  Empress  of  Austria,  whence  he  went  to  visit  the 
Archduke  Charles  to  tell  him  that  Napoleon  wished 
to  be  represented  by  him  at  the  wedding  to  be  cele- 
brated by  proxy,  March  11,  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Vienna,  at  the  Church  of  the  Augustins. 


118  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

The  Prince  of  Neufch&tel  continued  to  be  treated 
with  a  consideration  such  as  perhaps  had  never  before 
fallen  to  the  lot  of  an  envoy  in  Vienna.  From 
morning  till  night  his  quarters  were  surrounded  by 
an  inquisitive  multitude  who  were  anxious  to  see 
and  salute  Napoleon's  friend  and  fellow-soldier.  On 
the  9th  of  March  he  gave  a  grand  dinner  to  the 
most  distinguished  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  city. 
"  After  the  dinner,"  Count  Otto  wrote  to  the  Duke 
of  Cadore,  "  other  ladies  came  in  to  pay  the  first,  visit 
to  him,  a  distinction  which  probably  no  foreign  prince 
has  ever  before  enjoyed  here.  At  the  grand  perform- 
ance given  at  the  court  theatre  that  same  evening,  the 
Prince  again  had  precedence  of  the  Archdukes.  He 
was  given  a  seat  by  the  side  of  the  Empress,  who  all 
the  evening  said  the  most  flattering  things  to  him.  .  .  . 
Among  the  unprecedented  honors  which  have  been 
paid  to  him,  I  have  always  found  it  easy  to  distin- 
guish such  as  were  personal  attentions.  His  High- 
ness has  had  the  greatest  success  here,  especially 
with  the  Archdukes,  who,  in  order  to  overcome  his 
objections  to  take  precedence  of  them,  said  in  the 
most  obliging  way,  '  We  are  all  soldiers,  and  you  are 
our  senior.'  The  Archduke  Charles  has  especially 
displayed  a  grace  and  delicacy  that  have  extremely 
touched  the  Prince.  .  .  .  The  Emperor  has  pre- 
sented the  Prince  with  his  portrait  in  a  costly  medal- 
lion, and  His  Highness  has  taken  care  to  wear  it  on 
various  occasions." 

Napoleon,  who  a  few  days  before  had  been  so  hated 


THE  AMBASSADOR  EXTRAORDINARY.        119 

by  the  Viennese,  appeared  to  them,  as  if  by  sudden 
endowment,  a  sort  of  divine  being.  On  all  sides  were 
heard  outbursts  of  praise,  allegories,  and  cantatas, 
in  his  honor.  The  poets  of  the  city  rivalled  one  an- 
other in  celebrating  the  union  of  myrtles  and  laurels, 
of  grace  and  strength,  of  beauty  and  genius.  "  Love," 
they  sang  in  their  dithyrambs,  "  weaves  flowery  chains 
to  unite  forever  Austria  and  Gaul.  Peoples  shed 
tears,  but  tears  of  enthusiasm  and  gratitude.  Long 
live  Louise  and  Napoleon  ! "  In  every  street,  in  every 
square,  there  were  transparencies,  mottoes,  flags,  myth- 
ological emblems,  temples  of  Hymen,  angels  of  peace 
and  concord,  Fame  with  her  trumpet. 

At  that  moment  there  happened  to  be  in  Vienna 
a  great  many  French  officers  and  soldiers,  detained 
there  to  recover  from  the  wounds  they  had  received 
in  the  course  of  the  last  war.  All  those  who  were 
able  to  leave  their  beds  were  anxious  to  have  the  hap- 
piness of  seeing  their  new  Empress,  and  thronged  to 
the  Palace  doors.  As  soon  as  Marie  Louise  heard 
that  they  were  there,  she  made  her  appearance  before 
them,  and  spoke  to  them  most  graciously  a  few  kind 
words.  Then  these  veterans,  wild  with  joy,  shouted 
at  the  top  of  their  lungs,  "  Long  live  the  Princess ! 
Long  live  the  House  of  Austria!"  And  the  good 
people  of  Vienna,  enchanted  at  the  sight,  both  won- 
dered and  rejoiced  to  see  their  Emperor's  daughter  so 
warmly  greeted  by  the  French  soldiers  of  Essling 
and  Wagram. 


VII. 

THE   WEDDING   AT   VIENNA. 

BEFORE  proceeding  to  the  account  of  the  wed- 
ding, celebrated  by  proxy  in   Vienna,  at  the 
Church  of  the  Augustins,  March  11,  1810,  it  may  be 
well  to  enumerate  the  members,  at  that  time,  of  the 
Imperial  family. 

The  Emperor,  Francis  II.,  head  of  the  house  of 
Hapsburg-Lorraine,  who  was  born  February  12,  1768, 
had  just  entered  his  forty-third  year;  consequently, 
he  was  only  eighteen  months  older  than  his  son-in- 
law,  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  who  was  born  August 
15,  1769.  The  Austrian  monarch  had  taken  for  his 
third  wife  his  cousin  Marie  Louise  Beatrice  of  Este, 
daughter  of  the  Archduke  Ferdinand,  Duke  of 
Modena.  This  Princess,  who  had  no  children,  was 
born  December  14,  1787,  four  years,  almost  to  a  day, 
before  her  step-daughter,  the  Archduchess  Marie 
Louise,  Napoleon's  wife,  who  was  born  December  11, 
1791.  The  new  Empress  of  the  French,  at  the  time 
of  the  celebration  of  her  wedding  in  Vienna,  was 
consequently  eighteen  years  and  three  months  old, 
and  twenty-two  years  younger  than  her  husband. 

120 


THE  WEDDING  AT  VIENNA.  121 

Francis  II.  had  eight  children,  three  boys  and  five 
girls,  all  by  his  second  wife,  Marie  Theresa,  of  the 
Two  Sicilies,  and  born  in  the  following  order:  In 
1791,  Marie  Louise ;  in  1793,  Ferdinand,  the  Prince 
Imperial;  in  1797,  Leopoldine,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Dom  Pedro,  Emperor  of  Brazil;  in  1798,  Marie 
Clementine,  who  married  the  Prince  of  Salerno,  and 
was  the  mother-in-law  of  the  Duke  of  Aumale,  the  son 
of  Louis  Philippe;  in  1801,  Caroline,  who  married 
Prince  Frederick  of  Saxony;  in  1802,  Francis  Charles 
Joseph ;  in  1804,  Marie  Anne,  who  became  Abbess  of 
the  Chapter  of  Noble  Ladies  in  Prague;  in  1805,  John. 

He  had  one  sister  and  eight  brothers,  to  wit :  Marie 
Theresa  Josepha,  born  1767,  who  married  Antoine 
Clement,  brother  of  Frederic  Augustus,  King  of 
Saxony;  Ferdinand,  born  1769,  who,  after  having 
been  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  became  Grand  Duke 
of  Wiirzburg,  and  a  great  friend  of  Napoleon ;  Charles 
Louis,  born  1771,  the  famous  Archduke  Charles,  Napo- 
leon's rival  on  the  battle-field ;  Joseph  Antoine,  born 
1776,  Palatine  of  Hungary;  Antoine  Victor,  born 
1779,  who  became  Bishop  of  Bamberg;  John,  born 
1782,  who  presided  over  the  parliament  at  Frankfort 
in  1848;  Reinhardt,  born  1783,  who  was  Viceroy  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Lombardy  and  Venetia  when  it  be- 
came an  Austrian  province;  Louis,  born  1784; 
Rudolph,  born  1788,  who  became  a  Cardinal.  Con- 
sequently, at  the  time  of  Marie  Louise's  marriage, 
there  were  eleven  Archdukes,  three  sons  and  eight 
brothers  of  the  Emperor. 


122  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

The  wedding  ceremony  was  preceded,  March  10, 
1810,  by  a  rite  called  the  renunciation.  At  one  in 
the  afternoon,  Marshal  Berthier,  Prince  of  Neufch&tel, 
Ambassador  Extraordinary  of  France,  drove  to  the 
Palace  with  his  suite,  in  a  state  carriage  drawn  by 
six  horses,  and  was  conducted  to  the  hall  of  the 
Privy  Council,  to  witness  this  ceremony.  As  soon 
as  Francis  II.  and  Marie  Louise  had  taken  their  seats 
beneath  the  canopy,  the  Emperor,  as  head  of  the 
family,  spoke  as  follows :  "  Inasmuch  as  the  customs 
of  the  Imperial  family  require  that  the  Imperial 
Princesses  and  Archduchesses  shall  before  marriage 
recognize  the  Pragmatic  Sanction  of  Austria,  and 
the  order  of  succession,  by  a  solemn  act  of  renuncia- 
tion, Her  Imperial  Highness  the  Archduchess  Marie 
Louise,  who  is  betrothed  to  His  Imperial  Majesty  the 
Emperor  of  the  French,  King  of  Italy,  is  about  to 
take  the  usual  oath,  and  proceed  to  the  formal  rite  of 
renunciation."  The  Archduchess  then  went  up  to  a 
table  on  which  stood  a  crucifix  between  two  lighted 
candles,  and  the  holy  Gospels.  Count  Hohenwart, 
Prince  Archbishop  of  Vienna,  opened  the  book  of  the 
Gospel  according  to  St.  John,  and  the  Archduchess, 
having  placed  upon  it  two  fingers  of  the  right  hand, 
read  aloud  the  act  of  renunciation  of  the  right  of 
succession  to  the  crown,  and  took  the  oath.  That 
evening,  Gluck's  IpJiigenia  among  the  Taurians  was 
given  at  the  Royal  opera-house.  The  stairway  to  the 
boxes  was  brilliantly  lighted,  and  lined  with  orange- 
trees. 


THE   WEDDING  AT  VIENNA.  123 


The  next  day,  Sunday,  the  wedding  was  cele- 
brated with  great  pomp  at  the  Church  of  the  Augus- 
tins.  The  procession  filed  through  the  apartments  of 
the  Palace,  which  had  been  covered  with  rugs  and 
filled  with  chandeliers  and  candelabra.  Grenadiers 
were  drawn  up  in  a  double  line  from  the  Palace  to 
the  church.  This  was  the  order  of  the  procession : 
Two  stewards  of  the  court,  the  pages,  the  stewards 
of  the  chamber,  the  carvers,  the  chamberlains,  the 
privy  councillors,  the  ministers,  the  principal  offi- 
cers of  the  court,  the  French  Ambassador  Extraor- 
dinary, the  Archdukes  Rudolph,  Louis,  Reinhardt, 
John,  Antoine,  Joseph,  preceded  by  the  Archduke 
Charles,  accompanied  by  the  Grand  Master  of  the 
Court ;  the  Emperor  and  King,  followed  by  the  Cap- 
tain of  the  Noble  Hungarian  Guard,  the  Captain  of  the 
Yeomen,  and  the  Grand  Chamberlain;  the  Empress 
Queen  holding  the  bride  by  the  hand.  The  train  of 
the  Empress's  dress  was  carried  by  the  grand  mis- 
tresses of  the  court  as  far  as  the  second  ante-chamber, 
by  pages  to  the  church,  and  then  again  by  the  grand 
mistresses.  On  each  side  of  the  Emperor,  the  Em- 
press, and  the  Archdukes,  marched  twelve  archers 
and  as  many  body-guards ;  at  some  distance  the  same 
number  of  yeomen  bearing  halberds.  Kettledrums 
and  trumpets  announced  the  arrival  of  the  Emperor 
and  the  Empress  at  the  church,  where  the  Prince 
Archbishop  of  Vienna,  accompanied  by  the  clergy, 
met  them  at  the  door  and  presented  them  with  holy 
water ;  that  done,  he  proceeded  with  his  bishops  to 


124  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

the  foot  of  the  altar,  on  the  gospel-side. .  The  Impe- 
rial family  took  their  place  in  the  choir.  The  Arch- 
duke Charles,  as  Napoleon's  representative,  and  the 
Archduchess  Marie  Louise,  kneeled  at  the  prayer- 
desks  before  the  altar.  When  the  Archbishop  had 
blessed  the  wedding-ring,  which  was  presented  to 
him  in  a  cup,  the  Archduke  Charles  and  the  bride 
advanced  to  the  altar,  where  the  ceremony  took  place 
in  German,  according  to  the  Viennese  rite.  After 
the  exchange  of  rings,  the  bride  took  the  one  des- 
tined for  Napoleon,  which  she  was  to  give  herself  to 
her  husband.  Then  while  those  present  remained  on 
their  knees  the  Te  Deum  was  sung.  Six  pages  car- 
ried flaming  torches  ;  salvos  of  artillery  were  fired ; 
the  bells  of  the  city  announced  to  the  populace  the 
completion  of  the  rite.  After  the  Te  Deum  the 
Archbishop  pronounced  the  benediction.  Then  the 
procession  returned  to  the  Palace  in  the  order  of  its 
going  forth. 

The  French  Ambassador  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Ca- 
dore:  "The  marriage  of  His  Majesty  the  Emperor 
with  the  Archduchess  Marie  Louise  was  celebrated 
with  a  magnificence  that  it  would  be  hard  to  surpass, 
by  the  side  of  which  even  the  brilliant  festivities  that 
have  preceded  it  are  not  to  be  mentioned.  The  vast 
multitude  of  spectators,  who  had  gathered  from  all 
quarters  of  the  realm  and  from  foreign  parts,  so 
packed  the  church,  and  the  halls  and  passage-ways  of 
the  Palace,  that  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  Austria 
were  often  crowded.  The  really  prodigious  display 


THE  WEDDING  AT  VIENNA.  125 

of  pearls  and  diamonds ;  tlie  richness  of  the  dresses 
and  the  uniforms ;  the  numberless  lights  that  illumin- 
ated the  whole  Palace;  the  joy  of  the  participants, 
gave  to  the  ceremony  a  splendor  worthy  of  this  grand 
and  majestic  solemnity.  The  richest  noblemen  of  the 
country  made  a  most  brilliant  display,  and  seemed  to 
rival  even  with  the  Emperor.  The  ladies  who  ac- 
companied the  two  Empresses,  who  were  for  the  most 
part  Princesses  and  women  of  the  highest  rank,  seemed 
borne  down  by  the  weight  of  the  diamonds  and  pearls 
they  wore.  But  all  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  principal 
person  of  the  solemnity,  on  this  adored  Princess  who 
soon  will  make  the  happiness  of  our  Sovereign." 

When  the  procession  had  re-entered  the  Palace,  the 
Imperial  family  and  the  court  assembled  in  the  room 
called  the  Room  of  the  Mirror.  The  Emperor  of 
Austria  and  the  two  Empresses  received  the  con- 
gratulations of  all  the  nobility.  By  the  side  of  Marie 
Louise  stood  the  grand  mistress  of  the  household 
and  twelve  ladies-in-waiting.  "  Her  modesty,"  Count 
Otto  continues  in  the  same  report,  "the  nobility  of 
her  bearing,  the  ease  with  which  she  replied  to  the 
speeches  addressed  to  her,  enchanted  every  one.  .  .  . 
I  was  the  first  to  be  introduced  to  her.  She  answered 
my  congratulations  by  saying  that  she  would  spare 
no  pains  to  please  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
and  to  contribute  to  the  happiness  of  the  French 
nation  which  had  now  become  her  own.  Her  Majesty 
then  received  all  the  noblemen  of  the  court,  and 
spoke  to  them  with  an  affability  that  delighted  them. 


126  THE  EMPEE88  MARIE  LOUISE. 

When  the  reception  was  over,  I  was  presented  to  the 
Emperor,  who  spoke  to  me  most  amiably  and  most 
cordially.  He  told  me  that,  in  spite  of  his  delicate 
health,  he  was  unwilling  to  lose  any  opportunity  of 
testifying  his  high  esteem  of  my  master,  the  Emperor. 
'  He  will  always  find  in  me,'  he  went  on,  '  the  loyalty 
and  zeal  which  you  must  have  noticed  in  this  last 
negotiation.  I  give  to  your  Emperor  my  beloved 
daughter.  She  deserves  to  be  happy.  You  see  joy 
on  every  face.  We  have  neglected  nothing  to  show 
our  satisfaction  with  this  alliance.  Our  nations  re- 
quire rest ;  they  applaud  what  we  have  done.  I  am 
sure  that  the  best  intelligence  will  reign  between  us, 
and  that  our  union  will  become  only  closer.'  All 
these  gratifying  things  that  the  Emperor  said  to  me 
were  made  even  more  marked  by  the  voice  and  the 
smile  which  accompanied  them.  This  monarch,  in 
fact,  has  a  charm  of  manner  which  accounts  for  his 
great  popularity.  During  and  after  the  ceremony, 
the  Empress  held  her  stepdaughter  by  her  right  hand, 
leading  her  in  this  way  in  the  church  and  through 
the  halls  and  rooms.  The  large  crowd  of  spectators, 
which  almost  blocked  the  inside  of  the  Palace  and 
all  the  approaches,  seemed  to  belong  to  the  Imperial 
family,  so  great  was  its  emotion  on  seeing  the  new 
Empress  pass  by.  All  the  Frenchmen  who  were  near 
me  confessed  that  they  had  never  seen  a  grander  or 
more  touching  sight.  The  court  has  had  a  large 
number  of  medals  struck  off  in  memory  of  this  event. 
Many  hundred  of  these  have  been  sent  to  the  Prince 


THE  WEDDING  AT  VIENNA.  127 

of  Neufcha"tel,  who,  to  the  last,  has  been  treated  with 
the  most  marked  consideration." 

After  the  wedding  and  the  reception  a  grand  state 
dinner  was  given  at  the  Palace.  A  splendid  table 
was  set  upon  a  platform  covered  with  costly  carpets, 
over  which  there  was  a  canopy  in  the  shape  of  a  horse- 
shoe. The  Grand  Master  of  the  Court  announced  to 
their  Majesties  that  the  dinner  was  served.  Carvers 
and  pages  brought  in  the  meats.  After  the  lavabo 
the  Archbishop  asked  the  blessing,  and  the  Imperial 
family  took  their  places  in  the  following  order;  in  the 
middle,  the  Empress  of  the  French ;  on  her  right,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria ;  on  her  left,  the  Empress ;  on 
the  two  sides  the  Archdukes  Charles,  Joseph,  Antoine, 
John,  Reinhardt,  Louis,  Rudolph,  the  Prince  of  Neuf- 
ch&tel,  the  Ambassador  Extraordinary.  The  Grand 
Master  of  the  Court  sat  on  the  right,  behind  the  Em- 
peror's chair ;  near  him  were  the  Captain  of  the  Yeo- 
men, and  on  the  left  the  Captain  of  the  Noble  Hun- 
garian Guard.  The  ministers  of  state  and  the  repre- 
sentatives of  foreign  courts  sat  on  the  right,  and  the 
two  grand  mi  stresses  of  the  court  on  the  left  below 
the  platform.  The  rest  were  opposite  the  table,  next 
to  the  body-guard.  The  Emperor's  children  had  a 
place  assigned  to  them  in  the  gallery  from  which  they 
could  look  down  on  the  feast.  A  concert,  vocal  and 
instrumental,  accompanied  the  dinner.  At  the  end 
the  officiating  bishop  said  grace  in  a  low  voice. 

There  was  much  comment  on  the  presence  of  the 
Prince  of  Neufchatel  at  the  Imperial  table,  where  he 


128  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

sat  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  dinner. 
This  was  a  modification  of  the  ceremonial  of  the 
Viennese  court,  which  admitted  Ambassadors  to  the 
monarch's  table  only  on  very  rare  occasions,  as  at  the 
marriage  of  an  Archduchess;  but  even  in  this  case, 
required  that  they  should  leave  the  table  when  the 
dessert  was  served,  to  move  about  among  the  noblemen 
admitted  to  the  banquet-hall.  It  was  recalled  that  at 
the  marriage  of  the  French  Dauphin  to  the  Archduch- 
ess Marie  Antoinette,  the  Marquis  of  Durfort,  the  Am- 
bassador of  Louis  XV.,  was  not  invited  to  the  dinner 
in  order  to  avoid  the  question  of  precedence  between 
him  and  Duke  Albert  of  Saxe-Teschen,  who  was  pres- 
ent at  the  banquet.  This  same  Duke,  as  well  as  the 
brothers  of  the  young  Empress  of  the  French,  did 
not  attend  the  state  dinner  of  March  11,  1810 ;  and 
the  reason  given  was  the  desire  to  show  a  particular 
honor  to  Napoleon's  Ambassador  Extraordinary. 

The  same  day,  the  Archduke  Charles  who  had  just 
represented  the  French  Emperor  at  the  wedding, 
wrote  to  him  this  letter :  — 

"  March  11, 1810.  SIRE  :  The  functions  which  Your 
Imperial  Majesty  has  been  kind  enough  to  impose  on 
me  have  been  infinitely  agreeable.  Flattered  at  being 
chosen  to  represent  a  sovereign  who,  by  his  exploits, 
will  live  eternally  in  the  annals  of  history,  and  con- 
vinced of  the  mutual  happiness  which  must  ensue 
from  the  union  of  Your  Imperial  Majesty  with  a  Prin- 
cess endowed  with  so  many  qualities  as  my  dear 
niece,  I  have  felt  happy  at  being  called  on  to  cement 


THE  WEDDING  AT  VIENNA.  129 

this  bond.  I  beg  Your  Imperial  Majesty  to  receive 
the  most  earnest  assurances  of  this  feeling,  as  well  as 
of  the  profound  consideration  with  which  I  shall 
never  cease  to  be,  sire,  Your  Majesty's  very  humble 
and  very  obedient  servant  and  cousin,  CHARLES." 

That  evening  there  were  free  performances  at  every 
theatre.  The  Emperor  and  Empress  drove  through 
the  city  with  the  bride,  who  had  that  day  sent  one 
gold  napoleon  to  every  wounded  Frenchman,  and 
five  napoleons  to  every  one  who  had  lost  a  limb. 
The  same  thing  had  been  done  for  the  wounded 
German  allies  of  France  in  the  last  war.  This  ex- 
hibition of  generosity  produced  the  most  favorable 
impression,  and  much  gratitude  was  felt  towards  the 
new  Empress,  who  in  the  hours  of  her  triumph  had 
thought  of  the  suffering  soldiers.  She  was  every- 
where cheered.  The  city  and  suburbs  were  rivals  in 
the  brilliancy  of  the  illuminations.  In  front  of  the 
Chancellor's  office,  where  the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel 
was  staying,  were  shown  the  initials  of  Napoleon  and 
Marie  Louise  amid  a  circle  of  lights.  On  one  win- 
dow was  this  motto,  Ex  unione  pax,  opes,  tranquil- 
litas  populorum,  "  This  union  brings  to  the  people 
peace,  wealth,  tranquillity."  The  dwelling  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Buildings  represented  a 
temple  with  this  illuminated  inscription,  Vota  publica 
fausto  hymeneo,  "The  wishes  of  the  public  for  the 
happy  marriage." 

The  famous  engineer  Melzel  had  devised  an  ingen- 
ious decoration.  Above  an  excellent  portrait  of  the 


180  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

new  Empress  there  appeared  a  rainbow  ;  on  one  side, 
his  happiest  invention,  an  automaton,  which  the 
Viennese  called  the  War  Trumpet.  But  a  Genius 
was  silencing  it  by  pointing  to  this  motto,  Tace, 
mundus  concors,  "  Silence,  the  world  is  at  peace." 

To  be  sure  there  were  a  few  satires,  and  some  in- 
sulting placards  posted  secretly,  but  the  police  took 
pains  to  remove  them.  Unfortunately  the  weather 
was  unfavorable,  and  scarcely  one  light  out  of  ten 
held  out  to  burn.  Was  not  this  a  token  of  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  Viennese  for  Napoleon,  an  enthusiasm 
which  had  succeeded  hatred  as  if  by  magic,  and 
which,  after  flaring  up  so  speedily,  was  soon  to 
expire  ? 


VIII. 

THE  DEPARTURE. 

MARIE  LOUISE  was  to  pass  but  one  day  more 
in  Vienna.  The  ceremony  had  taken  place 
March  11, 1810,  and  on  the  13th  the  new  Empress  of 
the  French  was  to  leave  the  Austrian  capital  to  join 
her  husband  in  France.  After  all  these  festivities 
and  great  excitement,  the  12th  was  devoted  to  peace 
and  quiet.  The  Emperor  Francis  profited  by  it  to 
write  to  Napoleon  the  following  letter  :  — 

"  March  12, 1810.  MY  BROTHER  AND  MY  DEAR 
SON-IN-LAW  :  I  appoint  my  Chamberlain,  the  Count 
of  Clary,  the  bearer  of  this  letter  to  Your  Imperial 
Majesty.  The  great  bond  which  forever  unites  our 
two  thrones  was  completed  yesterday.  I  wish  to  be  the 
first  to  congratulate  Your  Majesty  on  an  event  which 
it  has  deserved,  and  which  my  wishes  in  harmony 
with  your  own,  my  brother,  have  crowned,  for  I  re- 
gard it  as  the  most  precious  as  well  as  the  surest  pledge 
of  our  common  happiness,  and  consequently  of  that  of 
our  subjects.  If  the  sacrifice  I  make  is  very  great,  if 
my  heart  is  bleeding  at  the  loss  of  this  beloved 
daughter,  the  thought,  and,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say, 

131 


132  THE  EMPRESS  MAMIE  LOUISE. 

the  firmest  conviction  of  her  happiness,  is  alone  able 
to  console  me.  Count  Metternich,  who  in  a  few 
days  will  follow  Count  Clary,  will  be  commissioned 
to  express  by  word  of  mouth  to  Your  Imperial 
Majesty  the  attachment  which  I  consecrated  to  the 
monarch  who  yesterday  became  one  of  the  members 
of  my  family.  Now  I  confine  myself  to  begging 
him  to  receive  the  assurances  of  my  esteem  and 
unalterable  friendship.  Your  Imperial  and  Royal 
Majesty's  affectionate  brother  and  father-in-law, 

"  FBANCIS." 

March  12,  the  Marshal  Berthier,  Prince  of  Neuf- 
ch&tel,  left  Vienna  for  Braunan,  on  the  Austrian  and 
Bavarian  frontier.  There  he  was  to  join  the  Empress 
of  the  French,  who  was  to  be  conducted  thither  by 
the  Austrian  escort  and  then  be  entrusted  to  the 
French  escort  with  which  she  was  to  continue  her 
journey.  "Before  the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel  left," 
wrote  Count  Otto,  March  10,  "a  great  many  Arch- 
dukes called  on  him,  including  even  the  high  officers 
of  the  crown.  His  Highness  started  at  two  o'clock, 
amid  the  acclamations  of  a  large  multitude.  No 
embassy  has  ever  been  more  warmly  received  or 
filled  with  more  dignity  and  nobility.  The  Prince 
left  sixty  thousand  francs  to  be  divided  among  the 
household  where  he  had  stayed.  He  was  most  dis- 
creet in  everything  that  he  did,  and  in  spite  of  the 
various  honors  heaped  upon  him,  I  do  not  think  that 
there  is  a  single  person  at  the  court  whose  pride  has 
been  wounded." 


THE  DEPARTURE.  133 

As  the  moment  drew  near  when  the  young 
Empress  was  to  leave  her  beloved  family  and  coun- 
try, to  plunge  into  the  unknown  future  that  was 
awaiting  her,  various  emotions  crowded  upon  her. 
At  heart  a  German  and  an  Austrian,  she  could  not 
accustom  herself  to  the  thought  that  probably  she 
would  never  see  again  her  revered  and  beloved 
father ;  the  family  who  adored  her ;  the  good  people 
of  Vienna,  who  had  always  shown  the  kindest  inter- 
est in  her;  the  Burg  and  Schoenbrunn,  where  had 
been  spent  so  many  happy  years  of  her  infancy;  the 
dear  Church  of  the  Augustins,  where  she  had  so  often 
earnestly  offered  up  her  prayers.  Could  all  the 
praise  of  Napoleon  which  she  had  been  hearing  for 
the  last  few  days  wipe  out  the  memory  of  the  abuse 
she  had  so  often  heard?  She  had  been  promised 
wealth,  grandeur,  power;  but  do  those  constitute 
happiness  ? 

The  13th  of  March  came ;  the  hour  of  her  depart- 
ure struck.  That  same  day  the  French  Ambassador 
wrote :  "  Her  Majesty  the  Empress  of  the  French 
left  this  morning  with  a  large  suite.  On  leaving  her 
loved  family  and  the  land  she  will  never  see  again, 
she  for  the  first  time  felt  all  the  anguish  of  the  cruel 
separation.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
whole  court  was  assembled  in  the  reception-rooms. 
About  nine,  the  Austrian  Empress  appeared,  again 
leading  her  step-daughter  by  her  right  hand.  She 
tried  to  speak  to  me,  but  her  voice  was  choked  by 
sobs.  The  young  Empress  was  accompanied  to  her 


134  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

carriage  by  her  step-mother  and  the  Archdukes,  and 
there  they  kissed  her  for  the  last  time.  Here  the 
affectionate  mother  broke  down,  and  she  was  sup- 
ported to  her  own  room  by  two  chamberlains.  The 
young  Empress  burst  into  tears,  and  her  distress 
moved  even  foreigners  who  witnessed  it." 

The  procession  started  in  the  following  order:  a 
division  of  cuirassiers,  a  squadron  of  mounted  militia, 
three  postilions,  the  Prince  of  Paar,  Director  of  the 
Posts,  in  a  carriage  with  six  horses ;  following  came 
four  carriages,  each  with  six  horses,  containing  Count 
Edelinck,  Grand  Master  of  the  Court,  and  the  cham- 
berlains ;  Counts  Eugene  of  Hangevitz ;  Domenic  of 
Urbua;  Joseph  Metternich,  Landgrave  of  Fiirsten- 
berg;  Counts  Ernest  of  Hoyes  and  Felix  of  Mier; 
Count  Haddick,  Field-Marshal ;  the  Count  of  Wurm- 
brand;  Count  Francis  Zichy;  Prince  Zinzendorf; 
Prince  Paul  Esterhazy;  Count  Antony  Bathiani; 
then  the  Prince  of  Trautmannsdorf,  First  Grand 
Master  of  the  Court,  and  Quartermaster,  in  a  carriage 
with  six  horses;  then,  in  one  with  eight  horses,  the 
Empress  of  the  French,  having  with  her  the  Countess 
of  Lazansky,  grand  mistress  of  her  household ;  finally, 
in  three  carriages  with  six  horses  each,  her  ladies-in- 
waiting, — the  Princess  of  Trautmannsdorf,  Countesses 
O'Donnell,  of  Sauran,  d'Appony,  of  Blumeyers,  of 
Traun,  of  Podstalzky,  of  Kaunitz,  of  Hunyady,  of 
Chotek,  of  Palfy,  of  Zichy.  A  detachment  of  cav- 
alry brought  up  the  rear.  The  procession  passed 
slowly  through  Saint  Michael's  Place,  the  Kohlmarkt, 


THE  DEPARTURE.  135 

the  Graben,  Karthnerstrasse,  the  Glacis,  and  the 
Mariahiilfestrasse.  The  troops  and  national  guard 
lined  both  sides  of  the  way. 

"  The  Empress,"  wrote  Count  Otto,  in  his  despatch 
of  March  13,  "  passed  through  the  main  streets  of  the 
city  and  the  suburbs,  amid  the  ringing  of  bells  and 
the  roar  of  cannon,  followed  by  an  immense  con- 
course of  persons  who  uttered  affectionate  wishes 
and  farewells.  The  inhabitants  had  decorated  their 
houses  and  even  the  palace  gate  with  tricolored 
flags.  The  regimental  bands  played  French  marches 
for  the  first  time.  A  general  salvo  from  the  ramparts 
finally  announced  that  the  Empress  had  crossed  the 
bridge.  Her  Majesty  will  be  received  with  the 
same  honors  in  all  the  Austrian  cities  she  passes 
through.  The  procession,  which  consists  of  eighty- 
three  carriages,  will  probably  be  delayed  by  the  bad 
roads,  and  the  rain  which  fell  heavily  last  night." 

The  Ambassador  thus  concluded  his  despatch: 
"  The  tumultuous  joy  which  has  prevailed  in  Vienna 
during  this  last  week,  which  has  gratified  Her  Majesty 
as  much  as  any  one,  has  been  dimmed  for  a  moment 
by  a  feeling  which  does  honor  to  the  kindness  of  her 
heart,  and  can  only  endear  her  the  more  to  us.  She 
has  a  great  affection  for  her  parents,  and  this  feeling 
they  return.  She  has  been  called  Louise  the  Pious, 
and  it  has  been  said  to  be  only  right  that  she  should 
share  the  throne  of  Saint  Louis.  The  Emperor  started 
an  hour  before  Her  Majesty  for  Linz,  where  he  will 
embrace  his  beloved  daughter  for  the  last  time. 


136  THE  EMPEESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

During  these  last  few  days  it  has  been  very  obvious 
that  his  feelings  as  a  father  have  had  more  weight 
with  him  than  his  position  as  a  sovereign.  This 
monarch's  amiable  disposition  has  appeared  in  the 
most  favorable  light  on  this*  occasion,  and  everything 
promises  the  happiest  results  from  this  alliance." 

On  leaving  Vienna,  Marie  Louise  doubtless  thought 
that  she  would  never  see  it  again;  but  she  was  to 
return  to  it  very  soon  and  in  very  different  circum- 
stances. In  four  years  the  Viennese  were  to  see  her 
again,  but  how  changed  the  condition  of  things! 
Events  cruelly  disappointed  the  hopes  of  peace  and 
happiness  evoked  by  her  marriage.  It  was  a  bitter 
deception.  The  hatred  of  the  Austrians  for  Napoleon, 
whom  in  1810  they  had  so  much  admired,  became 
once  more  as  intense  as  in  the  days  of  Austerlitz  and 
Wagram.  They  ceased  to  greet  Marie  Louise  with 
applause ;  they  simply  pitied  her.  Her  father  him- 
self ceased  to  regard  her  as  a  sovereign.  "As  my 
daughter,"  he  said  to  her,  "  everything  that  I  possess 
is  yours,  my  blood  and  my  life ;  I  do  not  know  you 
as  a  sovereign."  The  time  seemed  very  remote  when 
she  had  precedence  of  the  Empress  of  Austria,  and 
her  father,  the  head  of  the  house  of  Hapsburg, 
respectfully  gave  her  place  at  his  right  hand.  After 
losing  the  double  Imperial  and  Royal  crown,  that  of 
France  and  that  of  Italy,  she  was  obliged  to  beg  of 
the  implacable  Coalition  a  petty  duchy,  the  possession 
of  which  had  been  promised  her  by  a  treaty  signed 
after  the  fall  of  the  great  Empire.  There  were  again 


THE  DEPASTURE.  137 

festivities  in  Vienna,  but  not  for  her,  the  dethroned 
sovereign.  Once  she  was  curious  to  see  one,  and  she 
watched  it  hiding  behind  a  curtain.  On  the  evening 
of  a  court  ball  given  by  her  father  in  honor  of  the 
members  of  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  she  concealed 
herself  near  an  opening  made  in  the  attic  of  the  great 
hall  of  the  palace, — where  the  festivities  of  her 
wedding  had  been  celebrated, — and  from  there  the 
4  wife  of  the  prisoner  of  Elba  watched  the  men  dancing 
who  were  condemning  her  to  widowhood  even  in  the 
lifetime  of  her  husband. 


IX. 


THE    TRANSFER. 

MARIE  LOUISE'S  journey  was  one  long  ova- 
tion; in  every  town  and  in  every  village 
she  passed  through  the  young  Empress  received  the 
homage  of  the  authorities.  Groups  of  girls,  dressed 
in  white,  offered  her  flowers;  bells  were  rung;  and 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  country  people  was  quite  as 
warm  as  that  of  the  Viennese.  Marie  Louise  spent 
the  night  at  Saint  Polten,  where  she  met  her  father, 
who  had  gone  thither  incognito,  in  order  to  embrace 
her  for  the  last  time.  The  Empress,  the  bride's  step- 
mother, went  there  also  unexpectedly,  and  threw 
herself  for  the  last  time  into  the  arms  of  the  Empress 
of  the  French.  Ried  she  reached  the  15th  of  March, 
1810,  and  thence  Marie  Louise  started  on  the  16th, 
at  eight  in  the  morning,  after  hearing  mass.  By 
eleven  she  had  reached  Altheim,  close  to  the  Bava- 
rian frontier,  and  here  she  made  a  stop  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exchanging  her  travelling-dress  for  a  finer 
one.  Bavaria,  as  part  of  the  Confederation  of  the 
Rhine,  could  be  regarded  as  a  province  of  the  French 
Emperor,  since  Napoleon  was  the  Protector  of  the 

138 


THE    TRANSFER. 


Confederation.  It  had  hence  been  decided  that  on 
the  frontier,  between  Austria  and  Bavaria,  close  to 
Braunau,  should  take  place  the  ceremony  of  hand- 
ing her  over  to  her  French  escort  with  all  formality. 
The  scene  was  a  close  imitation  of  what  had  taken 
place  forty  years  before,  on  the  occasion  of  the  mar- 
riage of  Marie  Antoinette.  On  the  frontier  line 
between  Austria  and  Bavaria  three  pavilions  were  set 
up,  opening  from  one  to  the  other  :  the  first  of  these 
was  regarded  as  Austrian;  the  second,  as  neutral; 
and  the  third,  as  French.  These  three  connected 
buildings  formed  a  wooden  edifice  in  three  compart- 
ments, and  was  placed  between  Altheim  and  Brau- 
nau. It  was  furnished  with  care,  and  provided  with 
fireplaces.  The  central  pavilion,  or  hall,  which  was 
destined  for  the  ceremony,  was  adorned  with  a  can- 
opy, beneath  which,  on  a  platform,  there  was  an  arm- 
chair for  the  Empress,  covered  with  a  cloth  of  gold. 
To  the  left  of  the  canopy,  on  the  Bavarian  side, 
towards  Braunau,  was  set  a  large  table  with  a  velvet 
cloth,  on  which  the  plenipotentiaries  were  to  write 
their  signatures.  Two  lines  of  young  green  trees 
had  been  set  out,  one  leading  to  the  French  hall,  the 
other  to  the  Austrian.  On  the  side  of  the  first, 
towards  Braunau,  were  drawn  three  regiments,  in 
full  uniform,  two  of  infantry  and  one  of  cavalry, 
under  the  command  of  Generals  Friant  and  Pajol. 
On  the  other,  the  Austrian,  side,  towards  Altheim, 
there  were  neither  troops  nor  sentinels,  in  token  of 
the  temporary  neutrality  of  the  territory.  The 


140  THE  EMPEESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

French  Commissioner  was  Marshal  Berthier,  the 
Prince  of  Neufchatel,  and  his  secretary,  Count 
Alexandra  de  La  Borde.  The  Austrian  Commis- 
sioner was  the  Prince  of  Trautmannsdorf :  M.  The- 
delitz  was  his  secretary.  The  French  party,  which 
was  to  meet  Marshal  Berthier  at  Braunau,  and  to 
serve  as  an  escort  to  the  Empress  for  the  rest  of 
the  journey,  was  composed  of  the  following  people : 
Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples,  Murat's  wife  and  Na- 
poleon's sister ;  the  Duchess  of  Montebello,  lady  of 
honor,  the  widow  of  Marshal  Lannes ;  the  Countess 
of  Lugay,  lady  of  the  bed-chamber ;  the  Duchess  of 
Bassano,  the  Countesses  of  Montmorency,  of  Morte- 
mart,  and  of  Bouille',  maids  of  honor;  the  Bishop 
of  Metz,  Monsignor  Jauffret,  almoner ;  the  Count  of 
Beauharnais,  lord-in-waiting;  the  Prince  Aldobran- 
dini  Borghese,  chief  equerry ;  the  Counts  d'Aubus- 
son,  of  Be*arn,  d'Angosse,  and  of  Barol,  chamberlains ; 
Philip  de  Se*gur,  lord  steward;  the  Baron  of  Sal- 
uces  and  the  Baron  d'Audenarde,  equerries;  the 
Count  of  Seyssel,  master  of  ceremonies ;  M.  de  Baus- 
set,  steward. 

March  16,  at  half -past  one,  the  Prince  of  Neufchatel, 
with  the  rest  of  his  company,  made  their  way  to  the 
French  division  of  the  building ;  they  were  all,  men 
and  women,  in  full  dress.  Towards  two  o'clock 
Marie  Louise  entered  the  Austrian  room,  and  after 
resting  a  moment  she  was  ushered  into  the  middle 
room,  the  neutral  one,  by  the  Austrian  master  of 
ceremonies ;  there  a  throne  had  been  set,  and  the 


THE   TRANSFER.  141 

formal  ceremony  was  to  take  place.  Marie  Louise 
seated  herself  on  the  throne.  The  Prince  of  Traut- 
mannsdorf  took  his  station  before  the  table  where  the 
papers  were  to  be  signed,  with  the  Aulic  Counsellor, 
Hudelitz,  the  secretary,  behind  him.  The  men  and 
women  of  the  Austrian  party  ranged  themselves 
around  the  Empress.  At  the  back  and  on  the  two 
sides  of  the  hall  were  twelve  Noble  Hungarian 
Guards  and  twelve  German  guardsmen,  armed  and 
in  full  uniform. 

While  the  Austrians  were  thus  getting  ready,  the 
French  were  waiting  in  the  next  room,  and  displayed 
great  impatience  to  get  a  sight  of  their  new  sov- 
ereign. M.  de  Bausset,  an  eye-witness  of  the  cere- 
mony, tells  us  in  his  Memoirs:  "I  was  naturally 
anxious  to  see  the  Empress  as  soon  as  she  should 
reach  the  middle  room  to  take  a  place  on  the  throne, 
and  give  her  courtiers  time  to  arrange  themselves 
about  her,  before  we  were  introduced.  I  had  brought 
a  gimlet,  and  with  this  I  had  bored  a  good  many 
holes  in  the  door  of  our  room.  This  little  indiscre- 
tion, which  was  not  mentioned  in  our  report,  gave  us 
an  opportunity  to  inspect  the  appearance  of  our 
young  sovereign  at  our  ease.  I  need  not  say  that  it 
was  the  ladies  of  our  party  who  were  most  anxious 
to  make  use  of  the  little  holes  I  had  provided.  The 
impression  produced  by  the  grace  and  majesty  of  the 
Empress  upon  these  inquisitive  peepers  was  very 
favorable.  Marie  Louise,"  M.  de  Bausset  goes  on, 
"sat  straight  on  the  throne.  Her  erect  figure  was 


142  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

fine ;  her  hair  was  blond  and  very  pretty ;  her  blue 
eyes  beamed  with  all  the  candor  and  innocence  of 
her  soul.  Her  face  was  soft  and  kindly.  She  wore 
a  dress  of  gold  brocade,  caught  up  with  large  flowers 
of  different  colors,  which  must  have  tired  her  by  its 
weight.  Hanging  from  her  neck  was  a  portrait  of 
Napoleon  surrounded  by  sixteen  magnificent  solitaire 
diamonds,  which  together  had  cost  five  hundred 
thousand  francs." 

Baron  von  Lohr,  the  Austrian  master  of  cere- 
monies, having  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  next  room, 
where  were  the  Prince  of  Neuf  chatel  and  the  Empress's 
French  court,  announced  to  the  Count  of  Seyssel, 
the  French  master  of  ceremonies,  that  the  ceremony 
might  begin;  thereupon  the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel 
entered  the  neutral  room,  followed  by  Count  de 
Laborde,  his  secretary  for  this  occasion.  After  them 
entered  the  Duchess  of  Montebello,  the  Count  of 
Beauharnais,  and  the  rest  of  the  French  party,  who 
stationed  themselves  at  the  end  of  the  hall  opposite 
the  Austrians.  The  two  commissioners,  the  Prince 
of  Neufchatel  and  the  Prince  of  Trautmannsdorf, 
after  an  exchange  of  compliments,  signed  and  sealed 
the  two  documents,  each  retaining  one  of  the  copies. 
Then  the  Prince  of  Trautmannsdorf  approached  the 
Empress,  bowing,  and  asked  permission  to  kiss  her 
hand  in  bidding  her  farewell.  This  permission  was 
readily  granted  to  him,  and  to  all  the  ladies  and 
pentlemen  who  had  accompanied  her  from  Vienna. 
'Vhile  the  French  and  Austrian  secretaries  were  count- 


THE   TRANSFER.  143 


ing  the  dowry  —  five  hundred  thousand  francs  in  new 
golden  ducats  —  and  verifying  the  Empress's  jewels 
and  precious  stones,  the  French  commissioners  giving 
a  receipt  for  the  dowry  and  jewels  as  enumerated  in 
an  inventory  attached  to  the  document,  the  Austrian 
party  drew  up  before  the  throne  of  Marie  Louise, 
and  each  one,  according  to  his  or  her  rank,  went  up 
and  kissed  her  hand  with  deep  emotion.  Even  the 
humblest  servants  were  admitted  to  present  their 
respects  and  best  wishes.  "  Her  Majesty's  eyes  were 
filled  with  tears,"  M.  de  Bausset  tells  us,  "  and  this 
emotion  touched  every  heart." 

When  they  had  all  regained  their  places,  Prince 
Trautmannsdorf  offered  his  hand  to  the  Empress,  to 
help  her  down  from  the  platform  and  to  lead  her  to 
the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel,  who  took  her  by  the  hand 
and  led  her  towards  the  French  courtiers.  He  named 
them  all  to  the  Empress ;  then  the  door  of  the  French 
room  was  opened,  and  the  Queen  of  Naples,  who  had 
been  standing  there  during  the  whole  ceremony,  went 
up  to  her,  and  the  two  sisters-in-law  kissed  each  other 
and  chatted  for  a  few  moments.  Then  the  Arch- 
duke Antoine  was  announced ;  he  had  been  sent  by 
the  Emperor  of  Austria  to  present  his  compliments 
to  the  Queen  of  Naples,  and  was  to  return  at  once  to 
Vienna  to  bring  tidings  of  the  Empress  Marie  Louise. 
After  the  Queen  had  welcomed  and  thanked  the 
Archduke,  the  two  sisters-in-law  got  into  a  carriage 
and  drove  to  Braunau,  followed  by  the  Prince  of 
Neufchfttel  and  all  the  court.  On  both  sides  of  the 


144  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

way  troops  were  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle,  and 
artillery  salutes  were  fired. 

The  Prince  of  Neufch&tel,  on  the  suggestion  of 
the  Emperor  Napoleon,  invited  the  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen of  the  Austrian  party  to  spend  the  day  at 
Braunau,  to  take  part  in  the  rejoicings  which  were 
to  be  celebrated  there.  Marie  Louise  also  invited 
them  in  her  own  name.  General  de  S^gur,  who  was 
present,  thus  describes  the  mingling  of  the  French  and 
Austrians  :  "  The  only  thing  that  I  remember  is  that 
the  men  moved  about  together  and  exchanged  words 
very  politely ;  but  I  never  saw  a  company  of  women 
sitting  more  constrainedly,  with  less  ease,  than  on 
this  occasion,  when  the  Austrian  ladies  were  haughtily 
cold  and  silent.  These  ladies,  who  had  been  com- 
pelled to  offer  up  the  Princess  as  their  part  of  the 
war  indemnity,  seemed  to  take  no  part  in  the  sub- 
mission which  the  government  had  forced  upon  them. 
They  handed  over  to  us  the  pledge  of  defeat,  with 
a  bad  grace  which  their  husbands,  who  were  weary 
of  war,  did  not  show."  Generals  Friant  and  Pajol 
gave  a  grand  dinner  to  the  Austrian  officers  in  the 
citadel  of  Braunau,  and  the  courtesy  of  both  sides 
was  worthy  of  note.  Three  toasts  were  drunk,  — 
the  first  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  the  second  to 
the  Empress  Marie  Louise,  the  third  to  the  Emperor 
of  Austria.  There  was  a  salute  of  thirty  guns  after 
each  toast. 

At  Braunau  the  Empress  occupied  the  house  of 
a  rich  wine-merchant  opposite  the  town-hall.  The 


THE    TRANSFER.  145 


house  was  decorated  with  flags,  and  before  it  a  trium- 
phal arch  was  set  up.  Marie  Louise  rested  there,  and 
changed  everything  she  had  on,  according  to  the  cus- 
tom, which  demands  that  a  foreign  princess  on  enter- 
ing her  new  country  must  leave  behind  her  everything 
that  attaches  her  to  the  country,  the  peeple,  and  the 
ways  she  has  left.  The  Parisian  shopkeepers  had 
made  everything  for  her  from  measures  and  models 
sent  from  Vienna.  Napoleon  had  had  these  models 
shown  him,  and  taking  one  of  the  shoes,  which  were 
remarkably  small,  he  had  sportively  stroked  his  val- 
et's cheek  with  it,  and  said,  "  See  there,  Constant ; 
here's  a  shoe  that  will  bring  good  luck  with  it.  Did 
you  ever  see  feet  like  those  ?  " 

After  the  Empress  had  received  the  authorities  of 
Braunau  and  the  generals  commanding  the  French 
troops,  she  sought  retirement,  and  wrote  to  her 
father  this  touching  letter,  of  which  M.  von  Hel- 
fert  has  published  the  German  text :  this  is  the 
translation :  — 

"  DEAR  FATHER —  Excuse  me  for  not  writing  yester- 
day, as  I  should  have  done.  The  journey,  which  was 
long  and  very  fatiguing,  prevented  me.  It  is  with 
pleasure  that  I  seize  this  occasion  to  give  to  Prince 
Trautmannsdorf  for  you  the  assurance  that  my 
thoughts  are  always  with  you.  God  has  endowed 
me  with  strength  to  endure  the  cruel  emotion  which 
this  separation  from  all  my  family  calls  forth.  In 
Him  I  confide.  He  will  sustain  me  and  give  me 
courage  to  fulfil  my  mission.  My  consolation  shall 


146  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

be  the  thought  that  the  sacrifice  is  in  your  behalf. 
I  reached  Ried  very  late,  and  I  was  much  distressed 
by  the  thought  that  I  was  departing  from  you  per- 
haps forever.  At  two  o'clock  I  arrived  at  the  French 
camp  at  Braunau.  I  stopped  a  few  minutes  in  the 
Austrian  pavilion,  and  there  I  had  to  listen  to  the 
reading  of  the  documents  about  the  limits  of  the  neu- 
tral zone,  in  which  a  throne  had  been  set.  All  my 
people  then  came  up  to  kiss  my  hand,  and  I  could 
hardly  control  myself.  I  shuddered,  and  I  was  so 
much  moved  that  the  Prince  of  Neufcha"tel  had  tears 
in  his  eyes.  Prince  Trautmannsdorf  delivered  me 
to  him,  and  my  household  was  presented.  Heavens, 
what  a  difference  between  the  French  and  the  Aus- 
trian ladies !  .  . .  The  Queen  of  Naples  came  to  greet 
me,  threw  her  arms  about  me,  and  was  most  kind ; 
but  yet  I  have  not  perfect  confidence  in  her :  I  can't 
think  she  took  this  long  journey  merely  to  be  of  use 
to  me.  She  came  to  Braunau  with  me,  and  then  I 
had  to  spend  two  hours  in  arraying  myself.  I  assure 
you  that  now  I  am  already  as  much  perfumed  as  the 
Frenchwomen.  Napoleon  sent  me  a  superb  golden 
dress.  He  has  not  yet  written.  Now  that  I  have  had 
to  leave  you,  I  had  rather  be  with  him  than  travel 
longer  with  these  ladies.  Heavens !  how  I  miss  the 
happy  moments  I  spent  with  you !  Now,  alone,  I 
value  them  at  their  true  worth.  I  assure  you,  dear 
papa,  that  I  am  sad  and  inconsolable.  I  hope  you 
have  got  over  your  cold.  Every  day  I  pray  for  you. 
Excuse  my  scrawl.  I  have  so  little  time.  I  kiss 


THE   TRANSFER,  147 


your  hands  a  thousand  times,  and  have  the  honor  to 
be,  dear  papa,  your  obedient,  humble  daughter, 

"MARIE  LOUISE. 
"  BRAUNAU,  March  16,  1810." 

That  evening  the  Empress  appeared  again  before 
the  party  that  had  accompanied  her  from  Vienna,  to 
take  a  last  farewell. 

"Among  them,"  we  read  in  the  Memoirs  of 
Madame  Durand,  one  of  the  suite  of  the  new  Empress, 
"were  many  ladies  who  had  known  Marie  Antoinette. 
They  all  understood  with  what  a  heavy  heart  Marie 
Louise  would  come  to  occupy  a  throne  on  which  her 
great-aunt  had  suffered  so  sorely.  ...  At  the  moment 
when  she  was  getting  into  the  carriage  that  was  to 
take  her  to  Munich,  the  grand  master  of  the  house- 
hold, a  man  sixty-five  years  old,  who  had  accompa- 
nied her  to  this  point,  raised  his  joined  hands  towards 
heaven,  as  if  praying  for  a  happy  fate  for  his  young 
mistress,  and  blessing  her  as  her  own  father  might 
have  done.  His  eyes  indicated  a  mind  full  of  great 
thoughts  and  sad  memories.  His  tears  moistened 
the  eyes  of  all  who  witnessed  this  touching  sight." 

The  Empress,  with  her  French  escort,  started 
from  Braunau  for  Munich  early  March  17,  in  fright- 
ful weather.  Only  one  of  the  Austrian  suite 
remained  with  her,  the  grand  mistress,  Countess 
Lazansky.  She  hoped  that  this  lady,  whom  she  much 
loved,  would  remain  another  year  with  her.  But 
this  hope  was  doomed  to  disappointment. 


X. 


THE   JOUKNEY. 

IN  the  course  of  the  17th  the  Empress  reached 
Haag,  where  the  Bavarian  Crown  Prince  received 
her,  and  at  ten  in  the  evening  she  was  in  Munich. 
The  next  day,  M.  de  Boyne,  the  French  chargS 
d'affaires,  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Cadore :  "  Her  Maj- 
esty the  Empress  has  received  all  along  her  route, 
and  yesterday,  on  her  arrival  in  Munich,  countless 
expressions  of  love  and  respect.  This  capital  was 
illuminated  with  a  taste  and  magnificence  that  had 
never  been  seen  here.  The  Crown  Prince  went  as 
far  as  Haag  to  pay  his  respects  to  her.  The  troops 
and  the  militia  were  under  arms,  and  the  King  and 
Queen,  with  the  whole  court,  met  her  at  the  foot  of 
the  staircase  of  honor."  Marie  Louise  was  not  to 
leave  Munich  till  the  19th  of  March.  On  the  18th 
she  received  a  letter  from  her  husband,  brought  by 
one  of  his  equerries,  the  Baron  of  Saint  Aignan.  That 
evening  there  was  a  state  dinner  at  the  palace,  a 
levee,  and  a  theatrical  representation.  The  next 
day,  the  19th,  the  Empress  was  destined  to  suffer  a 
heavy  blow.  She  had  brought,  with  her  from  Vienna 
148 


THE  JOURNEY.  149 


to  Braunau,  and  from  Braunau  to  Munich,  her  grand 
mistress,  a  confidential  friend,  a  woman  who  had 
had  faithful  charge  of  her  infancy  and  youth,  —  the 
Countess  Lazansky.  When  she  reached  the  Bavarian 
capital,  she  was  sure  that  this  woman  was  not  to 
leave  her.  Since  the  Countess  had  not  gone  away 
at  Braunau,  she  had  every  reason  to  suppose  that  she 
would  accompany  her  to  Paris,  and  Marie  Louise 
fully  intended  to  keep  her  with  her  at  least  a  year. 
The  Austrian  court  showed  this  belief,  and  the  French 
Ambassador  had  written  March  6th  to  the  Duke  of 
Cadore  :  "  I  shall  not,  even  indirectly,  oppose  Madame 
Lazansky's  going,  since  His  Majesty  is  willing  to  per- 
mit her  accompanying  the  Empress.  This  attention 
will  be  gratefully  received."  But  that  did  not  at  all 
suit  Napoleon's  sister,  the  Queen  of  Naples,  who  had 
not  pleased  the  Austrian  lady,  and  who  wished  to 
control  the  new  Empress  without  a  rival. 

The  Queen  of  Naples  was  a  very  agreeable,  very 
charming  woman  ;  but  Count  Otto  was  mistaken  when 
he  wrote  that  the  Austrian  court  was  nattered  by 
hearing  that  Napoleon  had  chosen  his  sister  Caroline 
to  meet  the  new  Empress ;  the  choice  was  not  a 
happy  one,  and  the  Emperor  would  doubtless  have 
done  better  to  send  some  other  princess  of  his  family. 
Could  it  be  forgotten  that  there  was  another  woman, 
also  a  queen,  and  also  bearing  the  name  of  Caroline, 
Marie  Louise's  grandmother,  whom  Marie  Louise 
tenderly  loved,  and  whose  throne  was  occupied  by 
Murat's  wife  ?  It  should  have  been  remembered  that 


150  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

in  the  eyes  of  the  court  of  Vienna,  the  true,  the  legit- 
imate, queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies  was  not  Caroline, 
Napoleon's  sister,  but  another  Caroline,  the  daughter 
of  the  great  Marie  The're'se,  the  sister  of  Marie 
Antoinette. 

This  is  what  the  widow  of  General  Durand  says 
on  the  subject,  in  her  interesting  Memoirs  :  "  Princess 
Caroline,  Madame  Murat,  then  Queen  of  Naples,  had 
gone  to  Braunau  to  meet  her  sister-in-law.  The 
Duchess  of  Montebello,  a  beautiful,  sensible  woman, 
the  mother  of  five  children,  who  had  lost  her  hus- 
band in  the  last  war,  had  been  appointed  a  maid-of- 
honor,  —  a  feeble  compensation  on  the  part  of  the 
Emperor  for  her  sad  bereavement.  The  Countess  of 
Lugay,  a  gentle,  kindly  woman,  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  customs  of  good  society,  was  lady  of  the 
bedchamber.  I  shall  speak  later  of  the  other  ladies 
of  the  suite,  whose  functions,  as  established  by  eti- 
quette, brought  them  very  little  into  personal  rela- 
tions with  the  Empress.  Each  one  of  them  had 
pretensions  to  which  the  presence  of  Madame  Lazan- 
sky  was  an  obstacle.  They  complained  to  Queen 
Caroline,  and  she  decided  on  an  act  of  despotism 
which  deeply  wounded  her  sister-in-law."  This  act 
was  the  dismissal  of  Madame  Lazansky.  By  this 
course  the  Queen  of  Naples  expected  to  add  to  her 
influence  over  the  Empress;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
she  only  diminished  it  appreciably. 

"Madame  Murat,"  continues  Madame  Durand, 
"was  very  anxious  to  acquire  great  power  over 


THE  JOURNEY.  151 


Marie  Louise,  and  she  might  have  been  successful 
had  she  taken  more  precautions.  Talleyrand  said  of 
her  that  she  had  the  head  of  a  Cromwell  on  the  body 
of  a  pretty  woman.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a 
marked  character,  great  intelligence,  far-reaching 
ideas,  a  supple  and  crafty  mind,  with  a  grace  and 
amiability  that  made  her  very  charming,  she  lacked 
nothing  but  the  power  of  hiding  her  love  of  rule ; 
and  when  she  missed  her  aim,  it  was  because  she  had 
been  too  eager.  The  moment  she  saw  the  Austrian 
Princess,  she  imagined  that  she  had  read  her  charac- 
ter; but  she  was  utterly  mistaken.  She  took  her 
timidity  for  weakness,  her  embarrassment  for  awk- 
wardness ;  and,  fancying  that  she  needed  only  to 
give  her  orders,  she  hardened  against  her  for  all 
time  the  heart  of  the  woman  whom  she  expected  to 
control." 

Madame  Durand  thus  describes  the  conspiracy 
which  these  women  formed :  "  The  presence  of  the 
Countess  Lazansky  had  excited  the  jealousy  and  the 
fears  of  all  the  ladies  of  the  household.  They  in- 
trigued and  caballed,  telling  the  Queen  of  Naples 
that  she  could  never  win  her  sister-in-law's  confi- 
dence or  affection  so  long  as  she  kept  with  her  a 
person  whose  influence  rested  on  so  many  years  of 
devotion  and  intimacy.  Her  maid-of-honor  lamented 
that  her  functions  would  amount  to  nothing,  if  the 
Princess  were  to  keep  near  her  this  foreigner  who 
looked  after  everything.  Finally  they  persuaded  the 
Queen  to  ask  Marie  Louise  to  send  back  her  grand 


152  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

mistress,  although  she  had  been  promised  that  she 
could  keep  her  for  a  year." 

The  Empress  might  have  resisted.  They  showed 
her  no  order  from  the  Emperor ;  they  merely  said 
that  the  presence  of  the  Austrian  lady  with  a  French 
sovereign  was  something  anomalous,  —  an  infringe- 
ment of  the  laws  of  etiquette,  —  and  that  the  best 
way  for  the  Empress  to  please  the  Emperor  was  by 
this  voluntary  sacrifice.  Marie  Louise  yielded  for 
the  sake  of  peace,  and  gave  up  her  friend,  as  later 
she  was  to  give  up  her  husband,  out  of  weakness. 
Her  decision  gave  her  great  pain,  and  it  was  not 
without  a  pang  that  she  parted  from  the  Countess 
Lazansky.  "  How  agonizing  this  separation  is  !  "  she 
wrote  to  her  father.  "  I  really  could  not  make  a 
greater  sacrifice  for  my  husband,  and  still  I  do  not 
think  that  this  sacrifice  was  intended  by  him." 

Another  thing  that  added  to  the  grief  of  the  new 
Empress  was  that  she  was  compelled  to  part  with  a 
pet  dog  which  she  was  very  fond  of :  the  Countess 
was  to  carry  it  back  to  Vienna.  They  told  Marie 
Louise  that  Napoleon  disliked  dogs,  that  he  could 
not  endure  Josephine's,  and  that  they  were  perpetual 
subjects  of  discord.  Besides,  was  it  not  her  duty,  on 
entering  France,  to  give  up  everything  that  came 
from  her  former  home  ?  General  de  Se*gur,  who  had 
been  part  of  the  Empress's  escort  since  leaving  Brau- 
nau,  makes  no  mention  of  the  Countess  Lazansky, 
but  he  speaks  of  the  dog :  "  The  complete  change  of 
dress  was  simply  an  entertainment :  that  of  the  es- 


THE  JOURNEY.  153 


cort  had  been  anticipated ;  it  was  necessary  to  endure 
it.  This  painful  change  would  have  taken  place  with- 
out too  much  evidence  of  grief,  if  the  superfluously 
jealous  interference  of  Napoleon's  sister  had  not 
extended  itself  to  a  little  dog  from  Vienna,  which,  it 
was  insisted,  must  be  sent  back,  though  this  cost 
Marie  Louise  many  tears."  The  acquisition  of  a 
colossal  empire  did  not  console  the  sovereign  for  the 
loss  of  a  little  dog. 

March  19,  in  the  morning,  Marie  Louise  and 
Countess  Lazansky  parted.  "  The  worst  thing  in  the 
conduct  of  the  Queen  of  Naples,"  writes  Madame 
Durand,  who  did  not  like  her,  "  was  that  after  hav- 
ing demanded  the  Empress's  consent  to  Madame 
Lazansky's  departure,  she  gave  orders  to  the  ladies- 
in-waiting  not  to  admit  that  lady  to  the  Empress 
if  she  came  to  say  good  by.  This  order  was  not 
obeyed;  the  two  ladies  admitted  her  by  a  secret 
door;  she  spent  two  hours  with  the  Empress,  and 
the  ladies  who  admitted  her  never  regretted  what 
they  had  done,  in  spite  of  the  many  reproaches  of 
the  Queen  of  Naples." 

While  the  Empress,  leaving  Munich  March  19, 
continued  her  journey  to  France,  her  old  friend  was 
journeying  back  to  Vienna,  where  she  arrived  March 
22.  Her  unexpected  return  made  a  most  unfavor- 
able impression  on  all  classes  of  society. 

The  report  that  the  Countess  Lazansky  was  to 
accompany  the  Empress  to  Paris  had  spread  every- 
where, and  it  was  regarded  as  a  proof  of  confidence 


154  THE  EMPEE8S  MARIE  LOUISE. 

and  cordiality  that  was  most  welcome  to  the  Viennese 
with  their  devotion  to  the  reigning  family.  Conse- 
quently their  delight  and  interest,  which  had  been 
fed  by  the  festivities  and  all  the  details  of  the  jour- 
ney, made  the  sudden  return  of  the  mistress  of  the 
robes  a  cause  of  surprise  and  even  of  anxiety.  There 
were  riotous  assemblies,  and  the  affair  was  the  sub- 
ject of  most  unfavorable  comment.  As  the  Baron  of 
Me"neval  has  said,  "  The  reconciliation  on  the  part  of 
the  aristocracy  and  people  of  Austria  was  not  sincere. 
Marie  Louise's  departure  from  Vienna  was  followed 
by  many  regrets.  Instigated  by  English  and  Rus- 
sian agents,  the  populace  of  Vienna  gathered  in  the 
streets  and  public  places,  and  began  to  murmur  about 
the  sacrifice  which  they  said  had  been  required  of 
the  Emperor.  The  authorities  were  obliged  to  take 
active  measures  against  these  assemblages."  The 
Emperor  of  Austria  spoke  of  them  himself  to  the 
French  Ambassador.  Count  Otto  wrote,  March  24, 
to  the  Duke  of  Cadore :  "  The  Emperor  having 
returned  from  Linz,  I  asked  for  a  private  audience  to 
congratulate  him  on  his  happy  return.  Audiences 
of  this  sort  are  only  accorded  here  to  ambassadors  of 
powers  related  by  marriage,  and  I  took  advantage  of 
this  occasion  to  enjoy  this  honorable  distinction.  His 
Majesty  received  with  his  wonted  kindness ;  he  had 
been  thoroughly  satisfied  with  all  that  took  place  at 
Braunau,  and  with  the  delicate  attentions  paid  to 
Her  Majesty  the  Empress  from  the  moment  of  her 
arrival.  '  But  what  have  you  done  to  Madame  La- 


THE  JOURNEY.  155 


zansky  ? '  the  Emperor  went  on,  '  Why  is  she  sent 
back  ?  Your  master  had  given  my  daughter  leave  to 
take  a  companion  with  her ;  and  if  an  exception  was 
to  be  made,  Madame  Lazansky  deserved  to  be  the 
object  of  it,  for  she  has  always  been  well  disposed 
towards  France.  But  I  must  assure  you  that  I  attach 
no  importance  to  the  matter,  although  the  public 
amuses  itself  with  a  thousand  absurd  conjectures ;  last 
night  there  were  tumults  in  the  city  and  the  suburbs.' 
I  told  His  Majesty,  in  reply,  that  these  disturbances 
of  the  public  peace  were  doubtless  the  last  efforts  of 
a  few  foreign  intriguers  who  are  always  on  hand  in 
this  city ;  that  since  the  escorts  were  changed  at 
Braunau,  nothing  was  simpler  or  more  natural  than 
Madame  Lazansky's  return ;  and  that  to  allay  the 
excitement,  nothing  more  was  necessary  than  to 
spread  abroad  the  rumor  that  orders  had  been  re- 
ceived from  here  recalling  that  lady  as  soon  as  the 
Empress  was  accustomed  to  her  new  court.  '  That's 
just  what  I  have  already  done,'  resumed  the  Empe- 
ror, '  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  same  things  will 
be  said  in  France,  as  the  best  way  of  silencing  dis- 
content.' " 

A  few  hours  later  Prince  Metternich,  the  father  of 
the  celebrated  minister,  who  in  his  son's  absence  had 
charge  of  the  Ministry,  had  an  interview  with  the 
Ambassador  about  this  painful  incident.  "  Prince 
Metternich,"  Count  Otto  adds  in  the  same  despatch, 
"  came  to  see  me  to  give  me  some  fuller  details  about 
the  events  of  the  previous  night.  He  had  been 


156  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

kept  up  until  three  in  the  morning,  receiving  the 
reports  of  the  police,  and  having  the  ringleaders 
arrested.  They  had  gone  about  in  the  coffee-houses, 
and  had  carried  their  effrontery  so  far  as  to  say  that 
the  French  army  was  again  in  motion,  and  that  Na- 
poleon's sole  aim  had  been  to  distract  the  attention 
of  this  court." 

Meanwhile  Marie  Louise  was  continuing  her  tri- 
umphal journey.  At  Stuttgart  she  found  the  court 
and  the  population  as  enthusiastic  as  at  Munich; 
there,  too,  even  illuminations,  a  state  dinner,  a  levee, 
a  theatrical  representation.  At  Stuttgart  the  Em- 
press received  a  letter  from  Napoleon,  brought  by 
the  Count  of  Beauvau.  Another  letter  from  the 
Emperor  was  delivered  to  her  by  the  Count  of 
Bondy  at  Carlsruhe,  where  her  reception  was  no  less 
brilliant  than  at  Munich  and  Stuttgart. 

March  23,  Marie  Louise  was  at  Rastadt,  where  the 
Hereditary  Grand  Duke  of  Baden,  who  had  married 
Stephanie  de  Beauharnais,  Napoleon's  adopted  daugh- 
ter, gave  her  a  breakfast.  At  the  bridge  over  the 
Rhine,  which  the  Empress  reached  at  five  in  the 
even,\ng,  she  was  met  by  twenty  French  generals  and 
several  divisions  under  arms.  The  bridge  was  deco- 
rated with  flags;  bells  were  pealing;  salvos  of  ar- 
tillery were  roaring.  At  the  entrance  of  the  bridge 
the  sovereign  was  welcomed  by  the  Prefect  of  the 
Lower  Rhine,  and  at  the  city  gates  by  the  Mayor. 
"  It  was  at  Strasbourg,"  says  General  de  Se*gur, 
"that  France,  in  its  turn,  greeted  Marie  Louise. 


THE  JOURNEY.  157 


The  enthusiasm  on  this  German  and  military  fron- 
tier was  all  the  more  lively,  sincere,  and  wide-spread, 
because  the  Archduchess  was  regarded  as  the  most 
brilliant  trophy  of  the  success  of  our  arms,  and  it 
was  thought  that  after  eighteen  years  of  warfare  they 
had  in  her  a  pledge  of  certain  peace." 

March  23,  Marie  Louise  wrote  to  her  father,  from 
Strasbourg,  a  long  letter,  in  which  she  apologized  for 
her  long  silence,  pleading  the  excessive  fatigue  of  a 
long  journey,  during  which  she  had  to  get  up  every 
morning  at  five,  travel  all  day,  and  spend  every 
evening  at  receptions  and  theatrical  performances. 
She  added  that  the  programme  of  the  festivities  at 
Strasbourg  had  just  been  submitted  to  her  for  her 
orders.  "I  can't  tell  you,  dear  papa,"  she  said,  "how 
funny  it  seems  to  me,  who  have  never  had  any  will 
of  my  own,  to  have  to  give  orders."  At  Strasbourg 
she  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Count  Metternich, 
who  had  left  Vienna  March  12,  and  after  stopping  at 
many  German  courts,  was  about  to  push  on  to  Paris. 
The  festivities  there  were  very  brilliant.  A  news- 
paper of  the  town  said,  March  24,  "Among  the  guests 
was  the  Austrian  general,  Count  Neipperg,  who  was 
here  on  a  mission  from  his  government,  as  also  many 
officers."  Who  could  have  foreseen  that  this  unknown 
general  would  one  day  be  Marie  Louise's  consort, 
Napoleon's  successor? 

It  was  at  Strasbourg  that  the  Empress  received  her 
first  letter  from  her  father  since  her  departure  from 
Vienna.  She  answered  it  at  once :  "  I  beg  of  you, 


158  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

dear  father,  pray  for  me  most  warmly.  Be  sure  that 
I  shall  try  with  all  my  strength  to  perform  the  duty 
you  have  assigned  to  me.  I  am  easy  about  my  fate. 
I  am  sure  that  I  shall  be  happy.  I  wish  you  could 
read  Napoleon's  letter ;  it  is  full  of  kindness."  With 
every  step  she  made  on  French  soil,  Marie  Louise 
became  reconciled  with  her  lot.  For  his  part,  the 
Emperor  awaited  his  new  companion  with  all  the 
impatience  of  a  youth  of  twenty.  "Every  day," 
says  his  valet  Constant,  "he  sent  a  letter,  and  she 
answered  regularly.  Her  first  letters  were  very 
short  and  probably  very  cool,  for  the  Emperor  never 
mentioned  them ;  but  the  later  ones  were  longer  and 
gradually  more  affectionate,  and  the  Emperor  used 
to  read  them  with  transports  of  delight.  .  .  .  He 
complained  that  his  couriers  were  lazy  though  they 
killed  their  horses.  One  day  he  came  back  from  hunt- 
ing, carrying  two  pheasants  in  his  hand,  and  followed 
by  some  footmen  bearing  the  rarest  flowers  from  the 
conservatory  at  Saint  Cloud.  He  wrote  a  note, 
summoned  his  first  page,  and  said  to  him :  '  Be  ready 
to  start  in  ten  minutes,  by  coach.  In  it  you  will 
find  these  things,  which  you  will  deliver  to  the 
Empress  with  your  own  hands.  And  above  all, 
don't  spare  the  horses.  Go  as  fast  as  you  can, 
and  fear  nothing.'  The  young  man  asked  nothing 
better  than  to  obey  His  Majesty.  Thus  authorized, 
he  hurried  at  full  speed,  giving  his  postilions  double 
pay,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  he  had  reached  Stras- 
bourg." 


THE  JOURNEY.  159 


According  to  Madame  Durand,  "  It  was  evident 
that  Marie  Louise  read  the  Emperor's  letters  with 
ever-increasing  interest.  She  awaited  them  with 
impatience ;  and  if  the  courier  was  behind  time,  she 
asked  frequently  if  he  had  not  come,  and  what  could 
have  delayed  him.  This  correspondence  must  have 
been  charming,  since  it  evoked  a  feeling  destined  to 
acquire  great  strength.  Napoleon,  on  his  side,  was 
burning  with  desire  to  see  his  young  wife ;  he  was 
more  flattered  by  this  marriage  than  he  would  have 
been  by  the  conquest  of  an  empire.  What  most 
delighted  him  was  to  know  that  she  had  given  her 
consent  of  her  own  free  will." 

The  Baron  de  Mdneval  also  tells  about  Napoleon's 
correspondence  with  this  new  wife,  whom  he  had 
not  seen  and  was  so  impatient  to  know :  "  He  wrote 
to  her  every  day  as  soon  as  she  had  set  foot  on  French 
soil ;  he  sent  bouquets  of  the  most  beautiful  flowers 
along  with  the  letters,  and  sometimes  game.  He 
was  delighted  with  the  answers,  some  of  which  were 
long,  that  he  received.  These  replies  were  written 
in  good  French ;  the  Empress  expressed  herself  with 
delicacy  and  decorum :  perhaps  the  Queen  of  Naples 
aided  her.  She  wrote  many  details,  which  interested 
the  Emperor  very  much." 

The  Empress  left  Strasbourg,  March  25,  in  the 
direction  of  Nancy.  She  dined  at  Bar-le-Duc,  and 
at  Vitry-le-Francois  received  the  Prince  of  Schwar- 
zenberg,  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  and  the  Countess 
Metternich.  She  had  just  made  up  her  mind  to  hurry 


160  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

her  journey,  and  thus  to  hasten  the  moment  set  by 
etiquette  for  meeting  her  husband.  The  hour  which 
Napoleon  had  awaited  so  impatiently  was  now  draw- 
ing near. 


XI. 

COMPIEGNE. 

SINCE  the  20th  of  March,  Napoleon  had  been  at 
Compiegne,  denouncing  the  cumbrous  machin- 
ery of  etiquette  which  was  retarding  the  happy  mo- 
ment when  he  should  at  last  see  his  new  wife  and 
enfold  her  in  his  arms.  He  had  had  the  castle 
repaired  and  richly  furnished,  that  it  might  be  worthy 
to  receive  a  daughter  of  the  Caesars.  The  grand  gal- 
lery had  been  decorated  with  gilded  ceilings  and 
stucco  columns ;  the  garden  had  been  replanted  and 
adorned  with  statues.  The  waters  of  the  Oise  had 
been  carried  there  by  a  system  of  water-works.  All 
the  members  of  the  Imperial  family  had  arrived ;  the 
court  was  most  brilliant.  The  Emperor  wished  to 
dazzle  his  young  wife  with  unheard-of  splendor. 

The  minutest  details  of  the  meeting  of  the  Imperial 
couple  had  been  carefully  arranged  beforehand;  it 
was  settled  that  this  should  take  place  in  all  formal- 
ity, March  28,  between  Soissons  and  CompiSgne. 
The  Emperor  was  to  leave  the  last-named  place  with 
the  princes  and  princesses  of  his  family,  preceded 
and  followed  by  detachments  of  the  mounted  Impe- 

161 


162  THE  EMPRESS  MAttlE  LOUISE. 

rial  Guard.  Two  leagues  from  Soissons  they  would 
find  a  pavilion  composed  of  three  tents,  entered  by 
two  flights  of  steps,  one  on  the  side  towards  Com- 
pie"gne,  the  other  on  that  towards  Soissons ;  the  first 
one  was  for  Napoleon,  the  other  for  Marie  Louise. 
The  pavilion,  which  was  richly  decorated  with  flags, 
was  surrounded  by  trees;  near  it  flowed  a  brook. 
The  central  tent,  the  one  in  which  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  were  to  meet  for  the  first  time,  was  deco- 
rated with  purple  and  gold.  It  had  been  settled  that 
Marie  Louise  should  fall  on  her  knees  as  soon  as  she 
saw  her  husband,  that  he  should  help  her  to  her  feet 
and  kiss  her ;  then  that  both  should  get  into  a  state 
carriage,  and  both  the  escorts  should  unite  and  form 
one. 

The  preparations  were  completed  March  27. 
Everything  —  horses,  carriages,  escort,  pavilion  —  was 
ready.  That  morning  Prince  Charles  of  Schwarzen- 
berg,  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  and  the  Countess 
Metternich,  the  Minister's  wife,  arrived  at  the  castle 
of  Compiegne  from  Vitry-le-Frangois,  where  they 
had  seen  the  Empress,  of  whom  they  could  bring 
news  to  Napoleon.  At  noon  the  Emperor  received 
a  letter  from  Marie  Louise,  in  which  she  said  that  in 
order  to  make  greater  haste  she  was  leaving  Vitry-le- 
Frangois  that  very  morning  for  Soissons.  When  this 
letter  was  handed  to  him,  Napoleon  was  walking  up 
and  down  in  the  park,  as  if  to  overcome  the  impa- 
tience which  this  interminable  waiting  produced. 
When  he  learned  that  his  wife  was  so  near,  he  could 


COMPI&GNE.  163 


wait  no  longer,  and  he  decided  to  turn  his  back  on 
the  etiquette  which  had  been  so  laboriously  prepared 
for  the  next  day,  and  to  hasten  to  meet  Marie  Louise. 
He  summoned  Murat,  whom  he  wished  to  have  as 
his  sole  companion,  and  leaving  the  park  secretly  by 
a  hidden  gate,  he  and  his  brother-in-law  got  into  a 
modest,  undecorated  carriage,  which  was  driven  by  a 
coachman  not  in  livery  towards  Soissons  as  fast  as 
the  horses  could  carry  it. 

Never  had  the  Emperor  known  time  to  drag  so 
slowly.  A  double  feeling — of  curiosity  and  love — set 
his  heart  beating  as  if  he  were  a  youth  of  twenty. 
When  he  had  got  beyond  Soissons,  he  judged  that 
Marie  Louise  could  not  be  far  distant,  and  he  alighted 
at  a  village  called  Courcelles. 

The  Empress  meanwhile  had  been  journeying  ever 
since  the  morning  in  the  same  carriage  as  her  sister- 
in-law,  Queen  Caroline,  with  no  idea  of  what  was  go- 
ing to  happen.  She  had  passed  through  Chalons  and 
Rheims,  and  proposed  to  dine  at  Soissons,  where  she 
expected  to  pass  the  night ;  for  the  meeting  with  the 
Emperor  was  set  down  for  the  next  day,  March  28, 
at  the  pavilion  erected  two  leagues  from  that  town. 
It  was  raining  in  torrents  when  Napoleon  reached 
there,  and  he  got  down  with  his  brother-in-law  and 
sought  shelter  under  the  porch  of  the  church  oppo- 
site the  posting-station.  No  one  in  the  village  had  a 
suspicion  that  the  two  strangers  seeking  refuge  from 
the  rain  were  the  great  Emperor  and  the  King  of 
Naples. 


164  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Suddenly  the  clatter  of  wheels  was  heard,  and  a 
carriage,  preceded  by  an  outrider  and  followed  by  a 
great  many  vehicles,  rolled  up.  It  was  she,  at  last,  — 
Marie  Louise,  Archduchess  of  Austria,  Empress  of 
the  French,  Queen  of  Italy,  the  woman  who  would 
bring  him  a  son  and  heir  to  the  vast  empire  I  Pride 
and  the  intoxication  of  triumph  mingled  with  the 
conqueror's  joy. 

The  carriage  stopped,  and  the  men  began  to 
change  the  horses.  Napoleon  hastened  to  the  car- 
riage-door. He  did  not  want  to  be  recognized  for  a 
few  moments  yet,  but  the  equerry,  d'Audenarde, 
scarcely  believing  his  eyes,  shouted,  "The  Em- 
peror !  "  The  happy  husband  flung  himself  into  the 
arms  of  his  wife,  who  was  overcome  with  surprise 
and  emotion.  The  first  glance  delighted  him.  That 
fine  young  woman,  fresh  and  young,  full  of  strength 
and  health,  with  her  blonde  hair,  her  blue  eyes,  her 
air  of  innocence  and  candor,  was  the  wife  he  wanted, 
the  Empress  of  his  dreams ;  and  the  words  she  said 
to  him  flattered  and  touched  him,  went  straight  to 
his  heart !  After  looking  at  him  for  some  time,  she 
said  timidly  and  gently :  "  You  are  much  better-look- 
ing than  your  portrait." 

A  courier  was  despatched  to  carry  the  news  at 
full  speed  to  Compie"gne,  that  the  Emperor  and  Em- 
press would  arrive  there  at  about  two  o'clock,  and 
the  carriage  containing  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise, 
with  the  King  and  Queen  of  Naples,  started  in  the 
direction  of  Soissons,  followed  by  the  carriages  con- 
taining the  Empress's  suite. 


COMP1&GNE.  165 


They  stopped  but  a  moment  at  Soissons.  "  I  had 
the  honor,"  says  M.  de  Bausset,  "  to  be  in  the  car- 
riage with  Mesdames  de  Montmorency  and  de 
Montemart  and  the  Bishop  of  Metz.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  these  ladies  were  more  contented  than 
I  was  to  leave  the  excellent  dinner  which  was 
awaiting  us  there."  Soissons,  which  had  made  many 
expensive  preparations,  had  no  return  for  its  money 
and  trouble.  As  to  the  ceremonious  meeting  in  the 
pavilion  two  leagues  off,  which  had  been  prepared 
for  the  next  day  at  some  expense,  it  was  not  to  be 
thought  of.  Napoleon  showed  tact  and  courtesy  by 
relieving  his  wife  of  this  alarming  formality,  and 
especially  of  the  necessity  of  kneeling  before  him. 
He  was  happily  inspired  in  setting  feeling  before 
etiquette,  and  in  yielding  to  his  impatience  to  see 
the  face  and  hear  the  voice  of  his  long-awaited  wife. 

As  soon  as  the  courier,  sent  in  advance,  reached 
Compie~gne,  and  announced  the  great  news,  the  town 
was  in  commotion.  The  illuminations  were  got 
ready,  the  triumphal  arches  were  decked  with  flags, 
orders  were  given  to  greet  the  entry  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  with  a  salute  of  a  hundred  and  one 
cannon.  Marshal  Bessiel-es  made  ready  the  mounted 
guard.  In  spite  of  the  rain,  the  inhabitants  assem- 
bled in  crowds  to  meet  the  sovereigns  at  the  stone 
bridge  where  Louis  XV.  had  met  the  Dauphiness, 
Marie  Antoinette.  The  courts  and  galleries  of  the 
castle,  which  were  open  to  the  public,  were  thronged 
with  inquisitive  visitors.  A  hard  rain  was  falling, 


166  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

and  the  night  was  so  dark  that  nothing  could  be 
seen  without  torches.  At  ten  o'clock  the  cannon 
announced  the  arrival  of  the  Imperial  couple,  who 
rapidly  ascended  the  Avenue.  The  princes  and 
princesses  were  waiting  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase, 
and  the  Emperor  presented  them  to  the  Empress. 
The  town  authorities  were  assembled  in  a  gallery 
where  was  the  Prince  of  Schwarzenberg ;  a  band 
of  young  girls  dressed  in  white  paid  their  respects 
to  the  Empress,  and  offered  her  flowers.  The  Em- 
peror then  conducted  her  to  her  apartments,  where 
she  was  delighted,  as  she  was  surprised,  to  find  her 
little  dog  and  her  birds  from  Vienna,  as  well  as  a 
piece  of  tapestry  which  she  had  left  unfinished  at 
the  Burg.  This  delicate  attention  of  Napoleon's 
moved  her  to  tears.  She  was  also  pleased  to  see  a 
magnificent  piano.  After  a  quiet  supper,  at  which 
the  Queen  of  Naples  was  the  only  guest,  the  Em- 
peror conducted  his  wife  to  the  room  of  his  sister 
Pauline,  the  Princess  Borghese,  who  had  been  pre- 
vented by  illness  from  taking  part  in  the  reception. 
Then  he  showed  her  to  her  own  room. 

The  portrait  of  the  Empress  which  the  Baron  de 
Medieval  has  drawn,  is  as  follows :  "  Marie  Louise 
had  all  the  charm  of  youth ;  her  figure  was  perfectly 
regular ;  the  waist  of  her  dress  was  rather  longer  than 
was  generally  worn  at  that  time,  and  this  added  to 
her  natural  dignity  and  contrasted  favorably  with  the 
short  waists  of  our  ladies  ;  her  coloring  was  deepened 
by  her  journey  and  her  timidity ;  her  fine  and  thick 


COMPI&GNE.  167 


hair,  of  a  light  chestnut,  set  off  a  fresh,  full  face,  to 
which  her  gentle  eyes  lent  a  very  attractive  expres- 
sion ;  her  lips,  which  were  a  little  thick,  recalled  the 
type  of  the  Austrian  Imperial  line,  just  as  a  slightly 
aquiline  nose  distinguishes  the  Bourbon  princes ;  her 
whole  appearance  expressed  candor  and  innocence, 
and  her  plumpness,  which  she  lost  after  the  birth  of 
her  son,  indicated  good  health." 

The  next  day,  after  breakfast,  the  ladies  and  offi- 
cers of  the  household  who  had  not  met  her  at 
Braunau  were  presented  to  the  Empress,  and  they 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Then  followed  the  pres- 
entation of  the  Generals  and  Colonels  of  the  Guards, 
of  the  Ministers  and  high  officers  of  the  crown,  and 
of  the  officers  and  ladies  who  were  to  attend  her  on 
leaving  Compidgne.  She  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing at  the  castle  her  uncle,  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Wtirzburg,  her  father's  brother,  with  whom  she  talked 
for  a  long  time  about  her  country  and  her  family. 
She  also  chatted  with  the  Prince  of  Schwarzenberg 
and  with  the  Countess  Metternich.  All  day  Napo- 
leon was  in  charming  humor.  Contrary  to  his  usual 
custom  he  dressed  for  dinner,  putting  on  a  coat  which 
his  sister  Pauline,  an  authority  on  fashions,  had  com- 
manded of  Le*ger,  the  tailor  of  the  King  of  Naples, 
who  was  fond  of  expensive  and  handsome  clothes. 
This  coat  and  a  white  tie  were  not  becoming  to  Napo- 
leon; his  simple  uniforms  and  black  tie  suited  him 
much  better.  This  was  the  only  time  he  wore  the 
coat  which  the  Princess  Pauline  had  ordered ;  on 


168  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

ordinary  occasions  he  appeared  in  the  green  uniform 
of  the  Chasseurs  of  the  Guard ;  and  on  Sundays  and 
reception  days  in  his  blue  uniform  with  white  facings. 
March  29,  the  Count  of  Praslin  set  out  from  Compi- 
£gne  for  Vienna,  carrying  two  letters,  one  from  Napo- 
leon, the  other  from  Marie  Louise,  to  the  Emperor 
Francis  In  his  letter  Napoleon  said  to  his  father- 
in-law,  "  Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  the  present  you 
have  made  me.  May  your  paternal  heart  rejoice  in 
your  daughter's  happiness ! "  Marie  Louise,  too, 
expressed  content  and  joy;  after  telling  her  father 
with  what  delicacy  her  husband  had  lessened  the 
embarrassment  of  the  first  interview,  she  went  on: 
"  Since  that  moment  I  feel  almost  at  home  with  him ; 
he  loves  me  sincerely,  and  I  return  his  affection.  I 
am  sure  that  I  shall  have  a  happy  life  with  him.  My 
health  continues  good.  I  am  quite  rested  from  the 
journey.  ...  I  assure  you  that  the  Emperor  is  as 
solicitous  as  you  were  about  my  health.  If  I  have  the 
least  cold,  he  will  not  let  me  get  up  before  two 
o'clock.  I  only  need  your  presence  to  be  perfectly 
happy,  and  my  husband  would  also  be  very  glad  to 
see  you.  I  assure  you  that  he  desires  it  as  sincerely 
as  I  do."  Five  days  later  she  wrote :  "  I  am  able  to 
tell  you,  my  dear  father,  that  your  prophecy  has  come 
true  :  I  am  as  happy  as  I  can  be.  The  more  friend- 
ship and  confidence  I  give  my  husband,  the  more  he 
heaps  upon  me  attentions  of  every  kind.  .  .  .  The 
whole  family  are  very  kind  to  me,  and  I  can't  believe 
all  the  evil  that  is  said  of  them.  My  mother-in-law 


COMPI&GNE.  169 


is  a  very  amiable  and  most  respectable  princess  who 
has  welcomed  me  most  kindly.  The  Queens  of 
Naples,  Holland,  and  Westphalia  and  the  King  of 
Holland  are  very  amiable.  I  have  also  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  Viceroy  of  Italy  and  his  wife. 
She  is  very  pretty." 

The  court  left  Compitjgne  March  31.  At  the  en- 
trance of  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  were  met  by  Count  Frochot,  Prefect  of  the 
Seine,  and  a  crowd  of  Parisians.  The  Prefect  made 
a  speech  which  concluded  with  these  words :  "  Es- 
corted from  Vienna  to  this  point  by  the  love  of  the 
people,  Your  Majesty  now  knows  that  by  the  promi- 
nence of  her  virtues  as  well  as  by  the  graces  of  her 
person,  her  destiny  is  to  rule  over  all  hearts.  Our 
own,  Madame,  shall  be  to  make  you  find  again  here 
in  your  customary  abode,  the  country  that  you  most 
love,  where  you  were  most  cherished,  and  to  succeed 
in  making  worthy  of  Your  Majesty  the  homage  of  our 
allegiance,  of  our  respect,  and  of  our  love." 

At  half-past  six  in  the  evening  Napoleon  and 
Marie  Louise  arrived  at  Saint  Cloud,  where  were 
assembled  in  full  dress  the  marshals,  the  cardinals, 
the  great  dignitaries  of  the  Empire,  the  senators  and 
the  state  councillors.  At  the  palace  there  was  a 
family  dinner,  and  after  it  the  ladies  of  the  Palace 
of  the  Italian  Crown,  Countesses  Porro,  Visconti, 
Thiene,  Trivulci,  and  Mesdames  Gonfalonieri,  Trotti, 
de  Rava,  Fe,  Mocenigo,  Montecuculli,  were  presented 
by  the  Italian  maid-of-honor,  the  Duchess  Litta,  and 


170  THE  EMPEESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

they  all  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  The  civil  mar- 
riage was  appointed  for  the  next  day,  April  1,  at 
Saint  Cloud,  and  the  religious  ceremony  for  the  next 
but  one,  April  2,  in  the  Salon  CarrS  of  the  Louvre, 
between  the  long  gallery  of  the  Museum  and  the 
Apollo  Gallery.  The  formal  entry  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  into  their  capital  on  the  day  of  the  re- 
ligious marriage  was  to  be  an  occasion  of  great  pomp. 
Strangers  had  gathered  from  all  quarters  of  Europe 
to  witness  this  impressive  sight,  and  as  much  as  six 
hundred  francs  was  paid  for  the  smallest  room  from 
which  the  passage  of  the  Imperial  procession  could 
be  seen.  Never,  perhaps,  in  France  or  anywhere  else, 
had  any  ceremony  excited  so  much  curiosity.  The 
Royalists  themselves  had  come  to  believe  that  Na- 
poleon, the  miraculous  being,  had  forever  fastened 
fortune  to  his  triumphal  chariot.  There  was  a  truce 
to  recriminations.  For  a  moment  the  caustic  wit  of 
the  Parisians  turned  into  profound  admiration.  The 
great  conqueror,  in  light  of  his  apotheosis,  was  more 
like  a  demigod  than  a  man.  Every  one  was  eager 
to  look  upon  him  and  his  young  Empress. 


XII. 

THE  CIVIL  WEDDING. 

THE  civil  wedding  of  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise 
was  celebrated  at  Saint  Cloud,  Sunday,  April 
1, 1810.  At  the  end  of  the  Apollo  Gallery,  which 
was  adorned  with  Mignard's  frescoes,  and  still  full  of 
reminiscences  of  the  great  century,  had  been  placed 
on  a  platform  two  armchairs,  each  under  a  canopy ; 
the  one  to  the  right  for  the  Emperor,  the  other  for 
the  Empress.  Below  the  platform,  and  to  one  side, 
was  a  table  covered  with  a  costly  cloth,  on  which 
were  an  inkstand  and  the  civil  registers.  At  two  in 
the  afternoon  the  Colonel  of  the  Guard  on  duty 
and  the  high  officers  of  the  crown  of  France  and 
Italy  went  to  escort  Their  Majesties.  The  procession 
formed  and  made  its  way  through  the  Emperor's 
study,  the  Princes'  drawing-room,  the  throne-room, 
the  Mars  room,  to  the  Gallery  of  Apollo,  in  the  fol- 
lowing order:  ushers,  heralds-at-arms,  pages,  assis- 
tants to  the  masters  of  ceremonies,  the  masters  of 
ceremonies,  the  officers  of  the  household  of  the  King 
of  Italy,  the  equerries  of  the  Emperor,  his  aides-de- 
camp, the  two  equerries  on  duty,  the  aide  on  duty, 

171 


172  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

the  Governor  of  the  Palace,  the  Secretary  of  State  of 
the  Imperial  family,  the  high  officers  of  the  crown  of 
Italy,  the  High  Chamberlain  of  France  and  the  one 
of  Italy,  the  Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies  and  the 
Chief  Equerry  of  Italy,  the  Princes  who  were  high 
dignitaries,  the  Princes  of  the  family,  the  Emperor, 
the  Empress ;  and  behind  Their  Majesties,  the  Colonel 
of  the  Guard  on  duty,  the  Chief  Marshal  of  the 
Palace,  the  Grand  Master  of  the  House  of  Italy,  the 
Grand  Almoner  of  France,  the  one  of  Italy,  the 
Knight  of  Honor  and  the  Prince  Equerry  of  the  Em- 
press, carrying  the  train  of  her  cloak,  the  maids-of- 
honor  of  France  and  Italy  and  the  Lady  of  the  Bed- 
chamber, the  Princesses  of  the  family,  the  ladies  of 
the  palace,  the  maids-of-honor  of  the  Princesses,  the 
officers  on  duty  of  the  households  of  the  Princes  and 
Princesses. 

When  the  procession  had  reached  the  Apollo  Gal- 
lery, the  ushers,  the  heralds-at-arms,  and  the  pages 
drew  up  in  line  to  the  right  and  left  in  the  Mars 
room,  near  the  door.  The  officers  and  high  officers 
of  France  and  Italy,  the  maids-of-honor  and  the  Lady 
of  the  Bedchamber  took  their  places  behind  Their 
Majesties'  chairs,  in  order  of  rank.  The  Emperor  and 
Empress  seated  themselves  on  the  throne,  the  Princes 
and  Princesses  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  platform 
in  the  following  order  and  according  to  their  family 
rank :  To  the  right  of  the  Emperor : 

His  mother ; 

Prince  Louis  Napoleon,  King  of  Holland ; 


THE  CIVIL    WEDDING.  173 

Prince  Jerome  Napoleon,  King  of  Westphalia ; 
Prince  Borghese,  Duke  of  Guastalla; 
Prince  Joachim  Napoleon,  King  of  Naples ; 
Prince  Eugene,  Viceroy  of  Italy ; 
The  Prince  Archchancellor ; 
The  Prince  Vice-Grand  Elector. 

On  the  Empress's  left :  — 

Princess  Julia,  Queen  of  Spain  ; 

Princess  Hortense,  Queen  of  Holland; 

Princess  Catherine,  Queen  of  Westphalia ; 

Princess  Elisa,  Grand  Duchess  of  Tuscany; 

Princess  Pauline,  Duchess  of  Guastalla; 

Princess  Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples ; 

The  Grand  Duke  of  Wiirzberg  ; 

Princess  Augusta,  Vice-Queen  of  Italy; 

Princess  Stephanie,  Hereditary  Grand  Duchess  of  Baden ; 

The  Hereditary  Grand  Duke  of  Baden ; 

The  Prince  Archtreasurer ; 

The  Prince  Vice-Constable. 

As  soon  as  the  Emperor  was  seated,  the  Prince 
Archchancellor  of  the  Empire,  followed  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  State  of  the  Imperial  family,  approached 
the  throne,  bowed  low,  and  said :  "  In  the  name  of 
the  Emperor  [at  those  words  Their  Majesties  rose], 
Sire,  does  Your  Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty  declare 
that  he  takes  in  marriage  Her  Imperial  and  Royal 
Highness  Marie  Louise,  Archduchess  of  Austria,  here 
present  ?  "  Napoleon  replied :  "  I  declare  that  I  take 
in  marriage  Her  Imperial  and  Royal  Highness  Marie 
Louise,  Archduchess  of  Austria,  here  present."  The 
same  question  was  then  put  to  Marie  Louise  in  these 


174  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

terms :  "  Does  Her  Imperial  Highness  Marie  Louise, 
Archduchess  of  Austria,  declare  that  she  takes  in 
marriage  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  and  King,  Napo- 
leon, here  present?"  She  answered:  "I  declare  that 
I  take  in  marriage  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  and  King, 
Napoleon,  here  present."  Then  the  Archchancellor, 
Prince  Cambace're's,  announced  the  marriage  in  these 
words :  "  In  the  name  of  the  Emperor  and  of  the  Law, 
I  declare  that  His  Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty  Napo- 
leon, Emperor  of  the  French  and  King  of  Rome,  and 
Her  Imperial  and  Royal  Highness,  the  Archduchess 
Marie  Louise,  are  united  in  marriage."  At  the  same 
instant  the  ceremony  was  proclaimed  by  salvos  of 
artillery  fired  at  Saint  Cloud  and  repeated  in  Paris 
by  the  cannon  of  the  Invalides.  Napoleon  must  have 
felt  a  thrill  of  pride  at  this  moment.  The  Apollo 
Gallery,  where  the  rite  was  celebrated,  was  full  of 
pleasant  memories  ;  there  it  was  that  the  Ancients 
were  sitting  on  that  eventful  19th  Brumaire  when  the 
foundations  of  his  vast  power  were  laid,  and  there  it 
was  that  he  had  uttered  that  ringing  sentence,  "  Re- 
member that  I  march  in  the  company  of  the  God  of 
Fortune  and  the  God  of  War."  There  it  was  that, 
May  18,  1804,  he  had  said  to  the  Senators  who  came 
to  proclaim  the  Empire :  "  I  accept  the  title  which 
you  deem  of  service  to  the  nation's  glory.  I  hope 
that  France  will  never  repent  the  honors  with  which 
it  loads  my  family."  And  in  this  same  gallery  he  was 
marrying  in  triumph  the  daughter  of  the  Germanic 
Caesars.  The  Palace  of  Saint  Cloud  brought  him 


THE  CIVIL    WEDDING.  175 

good  luck.  And  yet  it  was  from  this  palace  that  he 
set  out  two  years  later  on  the  disastrous  Russian  cam- 
paign ;  and  from  there  his  successor,  sixty  years  later, 
started  for  a  still  more  ruinous  war.  And  as  for  this 
Palace  of  Saint  Cloud,  so  brilliant  and  radiant,  what 
was  to  become  of  it?  But  in  1810  no  one  could 
have  felt  such  fears  for  the  future. 

The  marriage  proclaimed,  the  document  had  to  be 
signed.  The  Secretary  of  State  of  the  Imperial  fam- 
ily presented  the  pen  to  the  Emperor  and  then  to  the 
Empress,  who  signed  (without  leaving  their  places  or 
rising)  on  a  table  brought  up  before  the  throne.  The 
Princes  and  Princesses  then  walked  up  to  the  table, 
and  after  bowing  to  Their  Majesties,  signed  in  the 
order  fixed  by  the  order  of  ceremonies.  When,  finally, 
the  Archchancellor  and  the  Secretary  had  affixed 
their  signatures,  the  procession,  in  the  same  order  as 
before,  reconducted  Their  Majesties  to  the  Empress's 
apartments. 

Possibly  only  one  thing  gave  Napoleon  a  vague 
uneasiness :  fourteen  of  the  Italian  cardinals  had  ap- 
proved as  regular  and  satisfactory  the  judgment  of 
the  officials  of  Paris  concerning  the  invalidity  of  the 
religious  marriage  with  Josephine;  while  thirteen 
others,  among  whom  was  Consalvi,  thought  that  the 
Pope  alone  was  competent  to  decide  so  important  a 
matter.  The  rumor  had  spread  that  these  thirteen 
recalcitrant  cardinals  would  not  be  present  at  the 
nuptial  benediction  to  be  given  to  Napoleon  and 
Marie  Louise  the  next  day  in  the  Salon  OarrS  of  the 


176  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Louvre.     But  Napoleon  in  his  wrath  had  exclaimed, 
"  Bah  !  they  will  never  dare  to  stay  away ! " 

That  evening  after  dinner  Their  Majesties  went  into 
the  family  drawing-room.  The  company  that  was  to 
accompany  them  to  the  play  assembled  in  the  neigh- 
boring rooms.  The  orange-house,  which  had  been 
converted  into  a  court  theatre,  was  illuminated.  The 
piece  to  be  given  was  Iphigenia  in  Aulis,  one  of  the 
favorite  operas  of  the  unhappy  Marie  Antoinette,  the 
new  Empress's  great-aunt.  The  choice  of  this  piece 
seemed  an  unhappy  one ;  for  Iphigenia  recalled  the 
idea  of  a  sacrifice,  and  the  aristocracy  of  Europe 
thought  that  Marie  Louise  had  been  sacrificed.  Gen- 
eral de  Se'gur,  in  spite  of  his  admiration  for  the  Impe- 
rial glories,  says  in  his  Memoirs :  "  The  feeling  that 
prevailed  in  Paris,  along  with  the  general  curiosity, 
was  surprise  at  the  presence  of  a  princess  ascending 
a  throne  reared  so  near  the  scaffold  stained  with  the 
blood  of  one  of  her  near  relatives.  This  cruel 
memory  offended  the  feeling  of  propriety  peculiar  to 
the  French  and  especially  to  the  Parisians.  They 
were  insensibly  pained  by  this  reminder  which  made 
too  evident  the  sacrifice  extorted  from  Austria,  and 
they  felt  that  their  victory  had  been  carried  too  far. 
They  condemned  the  imitation  of  Louis  XVI.,  whose 
sad  fate  was  attributed  to  a  similar  selection."  But 
the  fickle  crowd  which  assembled,  eager  for  pleasure 
in  the  park  of  Saint  Cloud,  made  no  such  reflections. 
"  The  illumination  of  the  park,"  says  the  Moniteur, 
"  had  been  arranged  with  infinite  art ;  the  fountains 


SAINT  CLOUD 


TEE  CIVIL    WEDDING.  177 

were  rendered  more  brilliant  by  the  lights  which 
were  thrown  upon  the  cascades.  The  great  waterfall 
especially  produced  a  magical  effect.  Poets,  in  their 
description  of  enchanted  gardens,  have  given  but  a 
feeble  idea  of  such  an  appearance  and  of  such  an 
effect  of  light.  Throughout  the  park  sports  of  all 
kinds  had  been  prepared.  An  immense  crowd,  from 
Paris  and  the  suburbs,  took  part  in  the  festival,  which 
was  most  gay  and  animated.  The  arrangements 
were  novel  and  far  exceeded  general  expectations." 
At  Saint  Cloud,  Sunday,  April  1,  1810,  when  the 
civil  marriage  was  celebrated,  the  weather  was  pleas- 
ant, while  in  Paris  the  streets  were  flooded  by  a  heavy 
rain.  The  next  day,  that  of  the  religious  marriage, 
it  rained  at  Saint  Cloud,  but  the  weather  in  Paris  was 
magnificent,  so  that  nothing  was  lost  of  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  procession  or  of  the  brilliancy  of  the 
illuminations.  The  Emperor's  good  fortune,  it  was 
said,  had  twice  triumphed  over  the  equinoctial  storms. 
In  the  ever-flattering  Moniteur  it  was  said:  "April  2 
had  been  chosen  for  Their  Majesties'  entrance  into 
the  capital  and  the  wedding  rites.  One  strange  cir- 
cumstance aroused  universal  attention  and  called 
forth  much  favorable  comment.  A  tempest  had 
raged  almost  all  of  the  previous  night  ....  It  was 
hence  natural  to  suppose  that  all  the  preparations 
which  for  a  month  had  excited  general  interest 
would  have  to  be  kept  until  a  more  favorable  day ; 
but  such  was  not  the  case,  and  what  has  often 
happened  occurred  once  more.  The  agreeable  tern- 


178  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

perature  which  the  sunshine  produced  was  the  more 
remarkable  because  it  lasted  only  while  the  festivities 
were  going  on,  beginning  and  ending  with  them,  and 
never  was  one  more  strongly  reminded  of  the  two 
familiar  lines  of  Virgil  when,  recalling  the  tempest  in 
the  night  and  the  calm  of  the  day  appointed  for  a 
great  entertainment,  he  represents  the  heavens  under 
the  divided  control  of  Augustus  and  Jupiter :  — 

" '  Nocte  pluit  tota,  redeunt  spectacula  mane, 
Divisum  imperium  cum  Jove  Caesar  habet.' " 


xra. 

THE  ENTRANCE  INTO  PABIS. 

MONDAY,  April  2,  1810,  as  soon  as  day  began 
to  break,  Paris  and  all  the  country  round 
about  set  forth  towards  the  Saint  Cloud  road.  From 
eight  in  the  morning  the  windows  were  filled  with 
women.  Everywhere  scaffolding  had  been  put  up; 
fences,  roofs,  and  trees  were  crowded  with  number- 
less spectators.  At  the  base  of  the  side  openings  of 
the  great  Arc  de  Triomphe  de  FEtoile,  steps  had  been 
set  in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre,  where  a  great 
many  persons  had  taken  their  place  by  invitation  of 
the  Prefect  of  the  Seine.  Of  the  arch  itself,  which 
was  to  be  built  in  stone,  only  the  bases  had  been 
built  to  a  height  of  about  twenty  feet,  but  the  rest 
of  the  structure  was  raised  in  canvas  over  a  frame- 
work for  the  Emperor's  formal  entry  into  Paris. 
The  speed  with  which  the  work  had  been  done 
seemed  magical;  nearly  five  thousand  laborers  had 
been  employed,  and  the  temporary  structure,  imitat- 
ing the  real  one,  had  been  finished  in  less  than 
twenty  days.  At  the  summit  was  this  inscription : 
"  To  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise,  the  city  of  Paris." 

179 


180  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

The  top  of  the  arch,  where  the  vaulting  started,  was 
decorated  with  bas-reliefs,  and  with  sunk  panels  in 
the  middle  of  which  were  eagles. 

There  were  twelve  medallions  —  six  towards  Passy, 
six  on  the  other  side;  namely,  the  portrait  of  the 
Emperor,  with  this  motto,  "  The  happiness  of  the 
world  is  in  his  hands  "  (the  address  of  the  Senate)  ; 
a  laurel  with  many  sprouts,  and  these  words,  "He 
has  made  our  glory " ;  a  roaring  leopard,  with  this 
motto,  "  He  laughed  at  our  discords,  he  weeps  at  our 
reunion " ;  the  monograms  of  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise,  with  this  inscription,  "  We  love  her  through 
our  love  for  him,  we  shall  love  her  for  herself " ;  a 
Love  placing  a  wreath  of  myrtles  and  roses  on  the 
helmet  of  Mars,  with  this  motto,  "  She  will  charm  the 
hero's  leisure " ;  the  sun  and  a  rainbow,  and  these 
words,  "  She  announces  happy  days  to  the  world " ; 
the  Empress's  portrait,  and  this  inscription,  "  To  her 
we  owe  the  happiness  of  the  august  spouse  who  has 
set  her  so  high  in  his  thoughts";  the  figure  of  the 
Danube,  and  this  line,  "He  enriches  us  with  what 
is  most  precious  " ;  the  Austrian  coat-of-arms ;  the 
monogram  of  Their  Majesties,  and  the  motto,  "She 
will  be  a  true  mother  to  the  French " ;  the  figure  of 
the  Seine,  motto,  "  Our  love  will  be  grateful  for  the 
gift  he  makes  to  us  " ;  and  last,  the  French  coat-of- 
arms. 

The  six  bas-reliefs  represented  the  following  sub- 
jects :  Legislation  —  the  Emperor  in  his  robes,  seated 
upon  the  throne,  points  towards  the  tables  on  which 


THE  ENTRANCE  INTO  PARIS.  181 

is  inscribed  the  Code,  while  Innocence,  in  the  form  of 
a  young  maiden,  is  sleeping  at  the  foot  of  the  Impe- 
rial throne ;  National  Industry  —  merchants  present- 
ing to  the  Emperor  various  products  from  their  ware- 
houses; the  Arrival  of  the  Empress  in  Paris;  the 
Decorations  of  the  Capital;  the  Emperor's  Clem- 
ency —  Napoleon  seated,  with  his  hand  on  his  sword, 
is  crowned  by  Victory,  while  he  generously  pardons 
his  vanquished  enemies ;  union  of  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  —  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  hand-in-hand, 
in  token  of  alliance,  before  an  altar  placed  at  the  foot 
of  the  statue  of  Peace. 

The  salvos  of  artillery  were  hearcf,  announcing  the 
departure  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  from  Saint 
Cloud.  At  the  same  moment,  as  if  in  obedience 
to  the  signal,  the  sun  appeared  on  the  horizon,  to 
shine  all  day,  and  just  when  the  procession  reached 
the  Arc  de  Triomphe,  it  appeared  with  greater  bril- 
liancy. The  cavalry  of  the  Imperial  Guard  headed 
the  procession,  the  lancers  in  front,  then  the  chas- 
seurs, followed  by  the  dragoons,  with  the  bands  in  ad- 
vance ;  the  heralds-at-arms  came  next ;  and  after  them 
the  carriages,  the  one  containing  the  Emperor  drawn 
by  eight  horses,  the  others  by  six.  Napoleon  and 
Marie  Louise  were  in  the  famous  coronation  coach. 
Its  four  sides  consisted  of  four  large  pieces  of  clear 
glass,  set  in  slender,  gilded  and  wrought  corner-posts, 
giving  as  unimpeded  view  of  those  within  as  if  the 
coach  was  open.  The  Emperor  was  to  be  seen  in  his 
cloak  of  red  and  white  velvet ;  the  Empress,  in  court 


182  THE  EMPRESS  MABIE  LOUISE. 

dress  and  wearing  the  crown  diamonds.  The  top  of 
this  magnificent  coach  consisted  of  a  sort  of  golden 
dome,  upheld  by  four  eagles  with  outspread  wings, 
and  surmounted  by  a  huge  crown.  The  Marshals  of 
France  and  the  colonels  in  command  of  the  Guard 
rode  on  each  side,  near  the  doors  of  the  carriage,  the 
aides  near  the  horses,  the  equerries  near  the  hind 
wheels.  According  to  the  etiquette  prescribed  for 
the  occasions  when  the  Emperor  used  this  state  car- 
riage, as  many  pages  as  possible  got  on  the  foot- 
board and  on  the  seat  near  the  driver. 

The  procession  reached  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  at 
one  o'clock.  Twelve  cannon  had  been  placed  on  the 
high  ground  near  by,  twelve  others  in  the  garden  of 
the  Tuileries,  on  the  terrace  by  the  riverside,  and 
their  salutes  were  repeated  by  the  cannon  of  the 
Invalides.  Bands  which  had  been  stationed  along 
the  routes  played  triumphal  marches.  All  the  church 
bells  were  rung  at  full  peal.  The  Imperial  coach 
stopped  beneath  the  arch,  where  the  Governor  of 
Paris,  the  Prefect  of  the  Seine,  the  Prefect  of  the 
Police,  and  the  twelve  mayors  received  the  sover- 
eigns. 

Count  Frochot,  Prefect  of  the  Seine,  then  pro- 
nounced the  following  speech :  "  Sire,  Your  Majesty 
has  at  last  interested  himself  in  his  own  happiness, 
and  has  succeeded  in  this  as  in  all  he  undertakes.  If 
never  in  the  world's  annals  did  any  sovereign's  mar- 
riage have  such  grandeur,  never  could  love  and  glory 
better  unite  their  interests  or  more  happily  inspire 


THE  ENTRANCE  INTO  PARIS.  183 

Your  Majesty.  From  the  shouts  of  joy  which  have 
echoed  beneath  the  arches  of  the  monument  erected 
in  honor  of  your  triumphs,  Your  Majesty  may  judge 
that  the  wishes  of  his  good  city  of  Paris,  that  all  the 
wishes  of  his  people,  are  satisfied.  And  it  is  not 
in  the  vast  extent  of  your  empire  alone  that  this  joy 
prevails;  Sire,  a  whole  continent  celebrates  with 
equal  delight  the  alliance  made  by  the  greatest  of 
its  monarchs,  and  a  hundred  different  nations  bless 
in  unison  these  august  bonds,  secretly  woven  by 
Providence,  these  bonds,  so  dear  to  our  hearts,  since 
they  give  us  at  once  a  pledge  of  Your  Majesty's 
happiness,  and  of  the  fairest  hopes  of  the  country." 

Then  turning  to  the  Empress,  the  Prefect  went 
on :  "  You,  Madame,  will  realize  this  double  hope ; 
and,  seated  on  the  first  throne  of  the  universe,  you 
will  adorn  it  for  the  prince ;  you  will  thus  make  it 
dearer  to  his  subjects ;  you  will  ensure  its  durability 
for  posterity.  The  mere  presence,  Madame,  of  Your 
Majesty,  reveals  to  every  eye  the  precious  gifts  of  the 
Providence  who  called  you  to  this  throne.  No  longer, 
in  order  to  admire  you,  are  we  forced  to  content  our- 
self  with  the  report  of  fame,  and  already  are  verified 
those  words  of  your  immortal  spouse,  that  loved  first 
on  his  account,  you  will  soon  be  loved  for  yourself. 
May  it  be  permitted,  Madame,  to  apply  these  words 
to  the  city  of  Paris !  May  you  honor  it  at  first  with 
your  good-will,  and  soon  love  for  itself  this  great 
part  of  the  immense  family  of  Frenchmen,  which  on 
this  solemn  day  proudly  attaches  itself  to  Your  Maj- 


184  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

esty's  destiny  by  all  the  ties  of  its  allegiance,  its 
respect,  and  its  love  ! " 

The  Empress  replied  that  she  loved  the  city  of 
Paris  because  she  knew  how  attached  were  its  inhab- 
itants to  the  Emperor.  Young  girls,  clad  in  white, 
offered  her  baskets  of  flowers,  which  she  accepted 
graciously,  and  the  procession  moved  on. 

Then  Marie  Louise,  after  passing  between  a  double 
line  of  picked  troops  before  an  enthusiastic  crowd, 
through  the  brilliant  avenue  of  the  Champs  Elysdes, 
reaches  the  fatal  Place  at  its  further  end.  Could  all 
the  roar  of  artillery,  the  peals  of  church  bells,  the 
music,  so  far  distract  the  young  Empress  as  to  make 
her  forget  that  here  for  two  years  stood  the  hideous 
guillotine,  on  which  more  than  fifteen  hundred  peo- 
ple were  murdered?  Could  all  the  happy  cheers 
drive  from  her  thoughts  that  beating  of  the  drums 
which  drowned  the  voice  of  Louis  XVI.  at  the 
moment  when  that  descendant  of  Saint  Louis  es- 
sayed to  speak  a  few  last  words  to  his  people  ?  The 
place  was  full  of  horrid  memories,  haunted  by  gloomy 
ghosts.  But  sixteen  years  before,  cattle  would  not 
traverse  it,  repelled  by  the  smell  of  blood.  The 
terraces  of  the  Tuileries  were  crowded,  and,  as  the 
Moniteur  put  it,  the  stone  images  of  fame  above  the 
garden  gates  seemed  ready  to  fly  away  to  proclaim 
the  glories  of  that  great  day.  Well,  sixteen  years 
and  a  half  before,  the  same  terraces  were  quite  as 
densely  crowded.  Yes,  a  huge  throng  gathered  in 
the  cool,  foggy  morning  of  October  16,  1793,  to  get 


THE  ENTRANCE  INTO  PARIS.  185 

a  good  view  of  the  death  of  a  woman  whose  grand- 
niece  this  new  Empress  was  in  two  ways:  on  the 
father's  side  by  her  father,  the  son  of  Emperor  Leo- 
pold II. ;  and  again,  on  the  maternal  side,  through 
her  mother,  the  daughter  of  Marie  Caroline,  Queen 
of  Naples.  Yes,  on  the  very  spot  over  which  the  Im- 
perial procession  passed  with  so  much  pomp,  in  front 
of  the  gateway  of  the  Tuileries,  thirty  metres  from 
the  middle  of  the  Place,  where  stood  the  base  on 
which  had  been  set  first  the  equestrian  statue  of 
Louis  XIV.  and  then  the  statue  of  Liberty,  there 
had  been  raised,  sixteen  and  a  half  years  before,  the 
scaffold  of  Marie  Antoinette.  Could  that  gorgeous 
state  carriage  drive  from  her  mind  the  memory  of 
the  martyred  queen's  tumbrel?  And  when  Marie 
Louise  first  saw  the  Tuileries,  must  she  not  have 
thought  of  the  last  glance  which  that  queen,  her 
near  relation,  cast  on  that  fateful  palace  before  she 
bowed  her  august  and  charming  head  upon  the 
block  ?  All  the  flattery  and  homage  of  courtiers, 
the  hymns  of  poets,  the  marriage  songs,  the  whole 
chorus  of  adulation,  cannot  drown  the  inexorable 
lamentations  of  the  voice  of  history  1 


XIV. 

THE  RELIGIOUS   CEREMONY. 

THE  procession  reached  the  entrance  of  the 
Tuileries  gardens,  passed  beneath  a  triumphal 
arch,  wound  around  the  basin  of  water,  by  the  side 
of  the  flower-beds,  which  the  crowd  had  respected, 
and  drew  near  to  the  palace  walls.  The  central 
pavilion  had  been  decorated  with  a  large  orchestra, 
divided  by  a  passage  leading  to  the  vestibule.  In 
the  middle  of  the  orchestra  was  an  arch,  on  top  of 
which  was  set  a  tribune  in  the  shape  of  a  tent.  On 
all  the  bas-reliefs  the  panels  and  other  ornaments 
were  initials  surrounded  with  flowers  and  various 
emblems  and  allegories.  The  carriages  passed  under 
this  arch ;  the  Emperor  and  Empress  alighted  in  the 
vestibule  and  ascended  the  grand  staircase.  Marie 
Louise  entered  the  bedroom  of  the  grand  apartment 
by  the  great  door,  which  was  thrown  wide  open,, 
The  maids-of-honor  of  France  and  Italy,  as  well  as 
the  ladies  of  the  bedchamber,  were  shown  thither 
from  the  throne-room  through  the  dressing-room. 
They  removed  the  Empress's  court  cloak,  and  put 
on  her  the  Imperial  cloak.  Meanwhile  tha  proces- 

186 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONY.  187 

sion  was  forming  again  in  the  Gallery  of  Diana,  and 
as  soon  as  Their  Majesties  had  arrived,  it  started 
again,  entered  the  long  Gallery  of  the  Louvre,  pass- 
ing through  its  entire  length,  to  the  Salon  CarrS, 
which  had  been  turned  into  a  chapel  for  the  religious 
ceremony. 

This  magnificent  gallery  presented  a  fine  appear- 
ance, divided,  as  it  is,  into  nine  unequal  compart- 
ments by  arches  rising  from  columns  of  rare  marble 
with  gilded  bases  and  capitals.  It  is  the  famous 
gallery  in  which  are  gathered  the  finest  pictures  of 
the  masters  of  every  school.  The  invited  guests 
had  been  gathering  there  since  ten  o'clock.  They 
ascended  thither  by  two  staircases,  one  leading  from 
the  quay,  the  other  from  the  Place  du  Carrousel  to 
the  central  pavilion.  The  Imperial  party  alone  was 
to  enter  by  the  door  of  the  Pavilion  of  Flora.  Two 
rows  of  benches  had  been  placed  the  whole  length 
of  the  gallery  for  the  ladies,  and  two  rows  of  men 
were  to  stand  behind  them,  so  that  there  was  room 
for  about  eight  thousand  persons  without  crowding. 
Bars  had  been  placed  in  front  of  the  first  line  of 
benches  to  leave  an  unencumbered  passage-way  for 
the  Emperor  and  Empress.  Thanks  to  the  exertions 
of  the  officers  of  the  Imperial  Guard,  who  discharged 
their  duty  with  perfect  courtesy,  four  thousand 
women,  in  their  most  brilliant  dresses,  without  trou- 
ble, without  confusion,  and  as  many  men,  all  chosen 
from  the  highest  society,  took  their  places  when  the 
procession  was  to  pass.  They  had  to  wait  not  less  than 


188  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

five  hours,  but  the  order  was  so  good  that  every  one 
could  easily  leave  and  resume  his  place.  The  gallery 
was  turned  with  a  magnificent  promenade  in  which 
Paris  was  treated  to  a  display  of  the  elegance  and  lux- 
ury of  its  leading  men  and  most  fashionable  women. 
Refreshments  of  various  kinds  were  handed  about 
while  orchestras  played  marches  or  pieces  composed 
by  Paer,  the  famous  leader  of  the  Emperor's  music. 
The  waiting  was  thus  a  long  entertainment.  At  three 
in  the  afternoon  the  whole  company  was  standing  in 
place ;  the  doors  of  the  Pavilion  of  Flora  opened,  and 
the  heralds-at-arms  appeared,  followed  by  the  Impe- 
rial procession.  The  spectacle  is  thus  described  by  the 
Mbniteur  with  its  accustomed  enthusiasm :  — 

"  The  sound  of  the  music  was  drowned  in  the  roar 
of  applause  which  rang  through  all  parts  of  the  gal- 
lery. At  times  the  applause  ceased,  when  the  spec- 
tators silently  regarded  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress. 
This  silence  was  eloquent ;  it  was  a  respectful  hom- 
age that  attested  the  solemn  thoughts  which  the 
spectacle  evoked,  and  the  deep  impressions  it  made 
on  every  soul ;  this  keen  emotion,  this  silent  expres- 
sion of  an  irresistible  feeling,  gave  way  to  heartfelt 
enthusiasm,  to  cries  of  joy,  to  transports  of  delight. 
Their  Majesties  acknowledged  this  enthusiasm  most 
courteously  as  they  passed  through  this  long  and 
brilliant  gallery  leading  to  the  chapel,  which  was  a 
sort  of  nave  of  the  temple  where  their  august  union 
was  to  be  consecrated  anew." 

The  chapel  was  the  Salon   CarrS,  which  lies  be- 


THE  RELIGIOUS   CEREMONY.  189 

tween  the  picture-gallery  and  the  Apollo  gallery. 
Two  rows  of  seats  had  been  placed  all  around  it. 
The  altar,  which  was  placed  in  front  of  the  picture- 
gallery  had  been  adorned  with  a  large  bas-relief  and 
many  rich  ornaments.  The  six  candelabra  and  the 
crucifix  were  masterpieces.  Thirty  feet  from  the 
altar,  on  a  platform,  and  beneath  a  canopy,  were 
the  two  armchairs  and  the  prayer  desks  of  the  Em- 
peror and  the  Empress.  Near  the  altar,  on  two  chan- 
deliers, had  been  placed  the  two  candles  designed  for 
offerings;  in  each  one  had  been  set  twenty  pieces 
of  gold.  The  Cardinal,  Grand  Almoner  of  France, 
assisted  by  the  Grand  Almoner  of  Italy,  went  to  re- 
ceive the  sovereigns  at  the  door,  and  to  offer  them 
holy  water  and  incense.  Their  Majesties  then  took 
their  places  on  the  platform,  the  Empress  on  the 
Emperor's  left.  The  rest  of  the  procession  arranged 
themselves  in  the  following  order :  on  the  Emperor's 
right,  below  the  platform,  Prince  Louis  Napoleon, 
King  of  Holland ;  Prince  Jerome  Napoleon,  King  of 
Westphalia ;  Prince  Borghese,  Duke  of  Guastalla ; 
Prince  Joachim  Murat,  King  of  Naples;  Prince 
Eugene  de  Beauharnais,  Viceroy  of  Italy;  the  He- 
reditary Grand  Duke  of  Baden ;  the  Prince  Arch- 
chancellor  Cambace're's ;  the  Prince  Archtreasurer 
Lebrun ;  the  Prince  Vice-Constable  Berthier ;  the 
Prince  Vice-Grand  Elector  Talleyrand; — on  the  Em- 
press's left,  below  the  platform,  Napoleon's  mother ; 
Princess  Julia,  Queen  of  Spain ;  Princess  Hortense, 
Queen  of  Holland;  Princess  Catherine,  Queen  of 


190  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Westphalia;  Princess  Elisa,  Grand  Duchess  of  Tus- 
cany ;  Princess  Pauline,  Duchess  of  Guastalla ;  Prin- 
cess Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples ;  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Wiirzburg;  the  Princess  Augusta,  Vice-Queen  of 
Italy;  Princess  Stephanie,  Hereditary  Grand  Duch- 
ess of  Baden.  The  Colonel  commanding  the  Guard 
on  duty,  the  Grand  Marshal,  the  High  Chamberlain, 
the  First  Equerry,  the  First  Almoner  of  the  Emperor, 
the  high  officers  of  Italy,  the  French  Maid-of-Honor, 
the  Italian  Maid-of-Honor,  the  Lady  of  the  Bed- 
chamber, the  Knight-of -Honor,  the  First  Equerry  and 
the  First  Almoner  of  the  Empress,  stationed  them- 
selves behind  Their  Majesties'  chairs. 

On  his  way  through  the  gallery  Napoleon  seemed 
perfectly  radiant  with  joy,  but  suddenly  his  face 
clouded.  "  Where  are  the  cardinals  ?  "  he  asked,  in  a 
tone  of  annoyance,  of  his  chaplain,  the  Abbe*  de 
Pradt ;  "  I  don't  see  them."  He  saw  them  very  well, 
but  he  noticed  that  they  were  not  all  there.  "A 
great  many  of  them  are  here,"  timidly  replied  the 
Abbe";  "besides,  many  of  them  are  old  and  feeble." 
"No,  they  are  not  there,"  the  Emperor  repeated, 
casting  his  eye  on  some  empty  benches.  "  Fools ! 
fools ! "  he  said  angrily,  his  face  growing  darker. 
It  was  true  !  The  thirteen  cardinals  who  had  declared 
that  they  would  not  come,  had  had  the  singular 
audacity  to  keep  their  word.  What !  they  had  dared 
to  persist  in  a  factious  opposition  which  he,  the 
Emperor,  had  defied  them  to  exhibit!  They  had 
dared  to  brave  him,  to  offer  him  a  public  insult  I 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONY.  191 

They  were  to  receive  one  in  their  turn.  They  did 
not  want  to  be  present  at  the  marriage ;  very  well, 
he  would  expel  them  in  disgrace  from  his  court  on 
the  very  next  day ! 

Nevertheless,  the  ceremony  began,  but  the  Emperor 
was  absorbed,  and  found  it  difficult  to  forget  the 
sudden  annoyance.  The  Grand  Almoner,  after  a 
deep  bow  to  Their  Majesties,  intoned  the  Veni  Creator, 
and  then  proceeded  to  bless  the  thirteen  pieces  of 
gold  and  the  ring.  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  arose, 
advanced  to  the  altar,  and  clasped  their  bared  right 
hands.  The  priest  then  addressed  the  Emperor, 
"Sire,  do  you  acknowledge  and  swear  before  God 
and  His  Holy  Church  that  you  now  take  for  your 
lawful  wife  Her  Imperial  and  Royal  Highness,  Madame 
Marie  Louise,  Archduchess  of  Austria,  here  present?" 
Napoleon  answered,  "Yes,  sir."  Then  turning  to 
the  Empress,  "Madame,  do  you  acknowledge  and 
swear  before  God  and  His  Holy  Church  that  you  now 
take  for  your  lawful  husband  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
here  present?"  "Yes,  sir."  "Do  you  promise  and 
swear  to  show  to  him  the  fidelity  in  all  things  which 
a  faithful  wife  owes  to  her  husband,  according  to 
God's  holy  commandment  ?  "  "  Yes,  sir."  The  priest 
then  gave  the  Emperor  the  pieces  of  gold  and  the 
ring ;  he  presented  the  pieces  of  gold  to  the  Empress 
and  placed  the  ring  on  her  finger,  saying,  "This 
ring  I  give  unto  you  in  token  of  the  marriage  we  are 
contracting."  The  priest  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  upon  the  hand  of  the  Empress,  and  said,  "  In 


192  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

nomine  Patris  et  Filii  et  Spiritus  Sancti.  Amen."  Then 
mass  was  said.  After  the  Gospel  the  First  Bishop 
carried  the  holy  volume  to  Their  Majesties  to  kiss, 
and  waved  incense  before  them.  After  the  benedic- 
tion, the  Grand  Almoner  offered  them  holy  water,  and 
gave  them  the  corporal  kiss ;  then  he  turned  towards 
the  altar  and  intoned  the  Te  Deum,  which  was  sung 
by  the  chapel  choir,  producing  a  deep  impression. 

The  procession  formed  anew  after  the  ceremony, 
and  retraced  its  steps.  The  Emperor  gave  the  Em- 
press his  hand,  and  it  was  observed  with  surprise 
that  in  passing  through  the  long  gallery,  his  face, 
which  had  been  so  triumphant  and  joyous,  no  longer 
wore  the  same  expression.  Could  the  absence  of  the 
thirteen  cardinals  have  been  enough  to  mar  this  mag- 
nificent ceremony  ?  The  procession  after  leaving  the 
long  picture-gallery  reached  the  Gallery  of  Diana  by 
the  Pavilion  of  Flora,  and  then  it  stopped.  The 
sovereigns  and  the  Imperial  family  entered  the  Em- 
peror's drawing-room,  which  opened  on  this  gallery. 
Marie  Louise  withdrew  to  her  own  room.  The  maid- 
of-honor  and  the  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber  removed 
her  Imperial  cloak  and  the  crown,  to  give  them  to  the 
Chamberlain,  who  had  carried  them  in  ceremony  to 
Notre  Dame.  Then  Their  Majesties  appeared  on  the 
balcony  of  the  Hall  of  the  Marshals  and  watched  the 
infantry  and  cavalry  of  the  Imperial  Guard  march 
by.  Officers  and  men  waved  their  weapons,  and 
filled  the  air  with  their  loud  cheers,  which  were  re- 
peated by  an  enthusiastic  multitude. 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONY.  193 

The  Imperial  dinner  took  place  at  seven  in  the 
theatre  of  the  Tuileries.  The  stage  had  been  dec- 
orated like  the  rest  of  the  hall,  so  that  instead  of 
being  separate  divisions,  there  was  but  one  huge,  un- 
broken room.  The  decoration  consisted  of  two  cupo- 
las upheld  by  double  arches  with  the  intermediate 
vaults  adorned  with  columns.  One  of  the  two  par- 
allel divisions  contained  the  table  destined  for  the 
Imperial  banquet,  which  stood  on  a  platform  beneath 
a  magnificent  canopy.  As  soon  as  the  dinner  was 
ready,  the  Grand  Chamberlain  offered  the  Emperor  a 
basin  in  which  to  wash  his  hands.  The  First  Equerry 
offered  him  a  chair.  The  Grand  Marshal  of  the 
Palace  gave  him  a  napkin.  The  First  Prefect,  the 
First  Equerry,  and  the  First  Chamberlain  of  the  Em- 
press had  similar  duties.  The  Grand  Almoner  stood 
up  by  the  table,  asked  a  blessing,  and  withdrew. 
During  the  repast  the  Grand  Marshal  of  the  Palace 
offered  the  Emperor  wine.  It  was  an  imposing  sight. 
According  to  the  Moniteur:  "Here  again  it  is  impos- 
sible to  do  justice  to  the  extraordinary  magnificence 
of  this  imposing  occasion.  Pen  and  pencil  can  de- 
scribe but  faintly  the  majestic  order,  the  admirable 
regularity,  the  blaze  of  diamonds,  the  beauty  of  a 
brilliant  illumination,  the  gorgeous  dresses,  and  above 
all  the  noble  ease,  the  indefinable  grace,  and  perfect 
elegance  which  have  always  characterized  the  court 
of  France." 

After  the  banquet  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise 
went  to  the  Hall  of  the  Marshals  and  appeared  on  the 


194  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

balcony.  A  vast  crowd  had  gathered  in  the  garden, 
under  the  walls  of  the  palace,  around  the  amphi- 
theatre which  had  been  built  for  the  public  concert. 
They  greeted  the  sovereigns  with  repeated  calls  and 
cheers.  The  following  cantata  was  given,  with  words 
by  Arnault  and  Mdhul's  music :  — 

WOMEN. 

"  Mars  himself  has  yielded  the  earth 
To  the  only  god  peace  cannot  disarm. 
Beneath  serener  skies  see  all  revive, 

All  grow  tender,  all  take  fire. 

On  the  oak,  beneath  the  heather, 

See,  yielding  to  the  call  of  love, 
The  proud  eagle  itself  forgetting  his  thunder. 

MEN. 

"  See  the  many  warriors  mingling  with  the  citizens, 
Hiding  their  old  laurels  beneath  the  new  myrtles, 
For  the  first  time  forgetful  of  their  conquests. 
See  the  Frenchman,  see  the  German, 
Clasping  each  other's  hand 
And  inviting  you  to  the  same  festivals. 

MEN  AND  WOMEN. 
"  Hear  the  voice  resounding 
From  the  banks  of  the  Danube  to  the  banks  of  the  Seine ; 

Hear  the  voice  that  promises 
A  long  reign  to  the  happiness  which  this  day  brings." 

Then  was  given  the  chorus  from  Iphigenia : 
"What  grace,  what  majesty  !"  a  chorus  which  Gliick, 
said  the  Moniteur,  "  could  not  have  made  more  beau- 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONY.  195 

tiful,  even  if  he  had  foreseen  this  occasion."  Alas ! 
the  same  thing  had  been  said,  in  the  same  words,  for 
the  unhappy  Marie  Antoinette ;  but  away  with  these 
gloomy  presentiments  !  After  the  concert  the  dis- 
charge of  a  rocket  from  the  palace  gave  the  signal 
for  the  fireworks.  These  had  been  arranged  for  the 
whole  length  of  the  Avenue  of  the  Champs  Elyse'es. 
The  illumination  brought  out  the  impressiveness  of 
the  vast  architectural  lines  of  the  Tuileries.  The 
main  avenues  of  the  gardens  were  richly  decorated ; 
around  the  flower-beds  were  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  porticoes  and  twenty-eight  arches  from  which 
hung  transparencies  and  garlands;  and  at  the  en- 
trance of  this  enchanted  garden  there  was  a  graceful 
triumphal  arch  with  twenty-four  columns  and  eight 
pilasters  illuminated  with  colored  lanterns.  The 
Place  de  la  Concorde  was  surrounded  by  pyramids  of 
fire  and  lights  arranged  to  resemble  orange-trees  ;  the 
Champs  Elyse'es,  the  Garde  Meuble,  the  Temple  of 
Glory,  the  Tuileries,  the  Palace  of  the  Corps  Ldgis- 
latif,  were  all  ablaze.  This  last-named  building, 
with  a  hastily  constructed  front  to  show  how  it  was 
to  be  finished,  represented  on  that  occasion  the  Tem- 
ple of  Hymen.  A  transparency  represented  in  front 
Peace  blessing  the  august  couple  ;  on  each  side  were 
genii  carrying  bucklers  on  which  were  to  be  seen  the 
arms  of  the  two  Empires.  Behind  this  group  were 
magistrates,  soldiers,  and  people,  offering  crowns,  and 
at  the  ends  of  the  transparency,  the  Seine  and  the 
Danube,  surrounded  with  children,  in  token  of  fecun- 


196  TSE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

dity.  The  twelve  columns  in  front,  the  steps,  the 
stone  statues  of  Sully,  of  l'H6pital,  of  Colbert,  of 
d'Aguesseau,  as  well  as  those  of  Themis  and  Minerva, 
were  most  brilliant.  The  bridge  Louis  XV.,  leading 
from  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  to  the  Temple  of  Hy- 
men, resembled  a  triumphal  avenue  with  its  double 
row  of  lights,  its  colored  glass,  its  obelisks,  its  hun- 
dreds of  blazing  columns,  each  one  topped  by  a  star. 
The  calmness  of  a  lovely  spring  night  was  favorable 
to  the  illuminations  ;  all  Paris  seemed  a  sea  of  flame 
with  waves  of  fire. 

The  festival  continued  till  late  into  the  night. 
"All  the  happy  families,"  says  the  Moniteur,  "re- 
turned to  their  peaceful  homes  after  a  long  absence. 
Every  one  had  had  the  happiness  of  gazing  at  the 
Emperor  and  his  august  spouse,  and  all  could  feel 
that  they  too  had  been  seen  of  them,  so  thoroughly 
did  the  feeling  of  the  benevolence  and  affability  with 
which  their  homage  had  been  received  by  Their 
Majesties,  repay  the  most  enthusiastic  testimonials  of 
love  and  gratitude  which  a  great  nation  has  ever 
been  able  to  present  to  its  rulers." 

Tuesday,  April  3,  was  the  day  for  the  presentation 
at  the  Tuileries  to  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  seated 
on  their  throne,  of  the  great  bodies  of  the  State. 
The  Emperor  replied  to  the  address  of  the  Senate  in 
these  words,  "  I  and  the  Empress  merit  the  senti- 
ments which  you  express  by  the  love  we  nourish  for 
our  people."  The  President  of  the  deputation  from 
the  Kingdom  of  Italy  spoke  in  Italian.  "  Our  peo- 


THE  RELIGIOUS  CEREMONY.  197 

pie  of  Italy,"  replied  the  Emperor,  "  know  how  much 
we  love  them.  As  soon  as  possible,  I  and  the  Em- 
press wish  to  go  to  our  good  cities  of  Milan,  Venice, 
and  Bologna,  to  give  new  pledges  of  our  love  for  our 
Italian  people." 

The  thirteen  Italian  cardinals  who  were  unwilling 
to  be  present  at  the  wedding  the  day  before  were  in 
the  Hall  of  the  Marshals,  where,  amid  a  throng  of 
prelates,  officers,  functionaries,  and  court  ladies,  they 
were  waiting  for  the  moment  to  pass  before  their 
formidable  master.  They  had  been  there  for  three 
hours,  in  great  anxiety,  when  aides  appeared,  bidding 
them  depart  at  once,  the  Emperor  being  unwilling 
to  receive  them.  Much  disconcerted,  they  made  their 
way  with  difficulty  through  the  crowd  to  their  car- 
riages. When  the  other  cardinals,  who  had  been 
present  at  the  wedding,  presented  themselves  in 
the  throne-room,  Napoleon  stood  up  and  violently 
denounced  their  expelled  colleagues.  Cardinal  Con- 
salvi,  formerly  Secretary  of  State  to  Pius  VII.,  was 
especially  attacked.  "  The  others,"  he  said,  "  may 
perhaps  be  excused  on  the  score  of  their  theological 
prejudices,  but  he  has  offended  me  from  political 
motives.  He  is  my  enemy,  and  he  seeks  to  revenge 
himself  for  my  driving  him  from  the  ministry.  That 
is  why  he  has  made  this  deep  plot  against  me,  raising 
against  my  dynasty  a  pretext  of  illegitimacy,  a  pretext 
which  my  enemies  will  be  sure  to  lay  hold  of  when 
my  death  shall  have  freed  them  from  the  fear  that 
restrains  them  to-day."  It  was  in  vain  that  the 


198  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

offending  thirteen  cardinals  wrote  together  an  apolo- 
getic letter  in  which  they  said  that  they  had  never 
wished  to  judge  the  validity  of  the  Emperor's  first  mar- 
riage or  to  throw  any  doubts  on  the  lawfulness  of  the 
second.  Napoleon  remained  implacable.  He  turned 
them  out  of  their  office,  stripped  them  of  their  cardi- 
nals' robes,  bade  them  resume  their  attire  as  simple 
priests,  so  that  afterwards  they  were  known  as  the 
black  cardinals,  in  distinction  from  the  others,  the  red 
cardinals.  He  deprived  them  of  all  their  estates,  eccle- 
siastic or  inherited,  and  placed  them  under  sequestra- 
tion. He  made  them  live  in  bands  of  two,  in  various 
cities  of  France,  dependent  on  the  charity  of  the 
faithful.  The  contest  with  the  Pope  began ;  but  the 
Pope,  though  defeated  in  the  beginning,  was  to  con- 
quer in  the  end,  and  the  persecutor  of  one  day  was 
himself  persecuted  the  next.  The  captive  of  Savona 
and  of  Fontainebleau  was  to  re-enter  the  eternal  city 
in  triumph,  and  the  all-powerful  Emperor,  the  Pope's 
jailer,  was  to  die,  a  prisoner  of  the  English,  on  the 
rock  of  Saint  Helena. 


XV. 

THE  HONEYMOON. 

"TV~T~APOLEON  was  happy;  his  new  wife  pleased 
J_M  him;  he  found  that  she  was  what  he  had 
wanted  her  to  be,  —  gentle,  kindly,  timid,  modest.  It 
seemed  sure  that  she  would  bring  him  heirs.  Being 
neither  ambitious  nor  prone  to  intrigue,  she  did  not 
meddle  with  politics.  She  was  religious,  moral,  and 
her  principles  were  most  sound.  She  would  never  op- 
pose her  husband,  whose  slightest  wish  she  regarded  as 
a  command.  She  would  appease  his  few  stubborn  foes 
of  the  French  aristocracy,  and  put  a  stop  to  the  last 
surviving  backbiting  of  the  Faubourg  Saint  Germain. 
As  a  bond  of  union  between  the  past  and  the  present, 
she  brought  not  to  France  alone,  but  to  all  Europe, 
stability  and  repose,  and  rendered  the  foundations  of 
the  Imperial  edifice  firm  and  indestructible.  The  Em- 
peror's marriage  seemed  his  greatest  triumph.  For 
her  part,  Marie  Louise  was  pleased  with  her  new 
throne.  Surrounded  as  she  was  by  a  chosen  society, 
having  in  her  service  the  proudest  names  of  the 
French,  the  Belgian,  the  Italian  nobility ;  flattered 
by  the  attention  of  a  court  in  which  elegance,  wit, 

199 


200  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

politeness,  followed  all  the  most  brilliant  traditions  of 
the  old  regime,  the  daughter  of  the  German  Csesars 
could  not  imagine  that  France,  with  its  tranquillity, 
its  profound  respect,  its  affection  for  the  monarchy, 
in  which  she  was  treated  more  like  a  goddess  than  a 
sovereign,  had,  a  few  years  earlier,  been  governed  by 
the  Jacobins. 

Marie  Louise  found  more  luxury  and  pleasure  at 
the  Tuileries  and  at  Compie'gne  than  at  the  Burg  or 
at  Schoenbrunn.  Modest  as  she  was,  the  ingenious 
flattery,  the  delicate  homage,  she  received  from  all 
quarters  could  not  fail  to  affect  her.  The  sympathy 
with  which  her  maid-of-honor,  the  Duchess  of  Monte- 
bello,  inspired  her,  soon  grew  into  a  warm  and  firm 
friendship. 

Napoleon  had  particular  regard  for  his  young  wife, 
and  in  his  love  there  was  a  shade  of  fatherly  protec- 
tion. He  was  not  yet  forty-one.  Success  and  glory 
had  given  to  his  mature  face  a  greater  beauty  than  it 
had  worn  in  his  youth.  His  manners,  formerly  harsh 
and  almost  violent,  had  become  much  softer.  To  the 
Republican  general  had  succeeded  a  majestic  monarch 
familiar  with  all  the  usages  of  courts,  all  the  laws  of 
etiquette,  maintaining  his  rank  like  a  Louis  XIV.,  and 
plajdng  his  royal  part  with  the  ease  and  dignity  of  a 
great  actor.  Successful  in  everything  he  undertook, 
never  exposed  to  contradiction,  surrounded  by  people 
whose  most  anxious  desire  was  to  forestall  his  wishes, 
to  anticipate  his  commands,  he  seldom  had  occasion 
to  give  way  to  the  outbursts  of  anger,  sometimes  real, 


THE  HONEYMOON.  201 

of tener  assumed,  in  which  he  formerly  indulged.  He 
liked  to  talk,  and  his  conversation  was  easy  and 
witty,  and  full  of  an  irresistible  charm.  His  dress, 
which  in  old  times  he  neglected,  became  elegant. 
His  expression  and  voice  acquired  gentleness  and  an 
almost  caressing  quality.  Not  only  did  he  try  to  fas- 
cinate the  young  and  handsome  Empress,  he  spared 
no  pains  to  please  her.  Being  much  honored  and  flat- 
tered in  his  vanity  as  a  Corsican  gentleman, — for  this 
man  of  Vende'miaire,  the  saviour  of  the  Convention, 
always  had  a  weakness  for  coats-of-arms  and  for  titles, 
— he  was  proud  as  well  as  happy  in  having  for  his  wife 
a  woman  belonging  to  so  old  and  illustrious  a  race ; 
and  this  sensation  of  gratified  pride  inspired  an  equa- 
bility of  temper,  a  serenity,  a  gayety,  which  delighted 
his  courtiers,  who  were  glad  to  see  his  happiness,  for 
they  enjoyed  its  agreeable  results.  It  was  in  this 
spirit  that  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  started,  April 
5, 1810,  from  Saint  Cloud  for  Compie'gne,  whence  they 
set  forth  on  the  27th  for  a  triumphal  progress  in  the 
departments  of  the  North. 

In  short,  this  wedded  life  began  under  the  happiest 
auspices.  At  Vienna,  the  Emperor  Francis  was  per- 
fectly satisfied.  Count  Otto,  the  French  Ambassador, 
wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  March  31,  1810,  as 
follows:  "The  events  of  the  29th  were  celebrated 
here  yesterday  by  a  general  illumination,  and  by  a 
grand  court  levee  where  His  Majesty  received  again 
the  congratulations  of  the  Diplomatic  Body,  the 
nobility,  and  of  many  foreigners.  The  Emperor 


202  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

seemed  thoroughly  contented ;  he  spoke  to  me  very 
warmly  of  his  satisfaction,  which  is  shared  by  all  his 
subjects  with  but  few  exceptions.  Both  when  I  came 
in  and  when  I  was  leaving,  he  spoke  to  me  in  the  most 
gracious  manner  possible,  and  especially  about  the 
incomparable  benefit  His  Majesty  had  rendered  to 
European  civilization  by  restoring  France  to  its  real 
basis.  He  praised  our  army,  and  added  that  he  would 
do  what  he  could  to  aid  those  of  our  soldiers  who  still 
remained  in  the  hospitals  here.  'Henceforth,'  the 
Emperor  continued,  '  we  have  but  one  and  the  same 
interest,  to  work  together  for  the  peace  of  Europe  and 
the  furtherance  of  the  arts  of  use  for  society.  Every- 
thing can  be  made  good,  except  the  loss  of  so  many 
excellent  men  killed  or  maimed  in  the  last  war.'  His 
Majesty's  example  in  addressing  me  before  any  one 
else  was  followed  by  his  brother." 

The  Emperor  Francis  was  very  happy  to  learn  that 
his  daughter  was  pleased  with  Napoleon  and  the 
French.  The  French  Ambassador  wrote  from  Vienna 
to  the  Duke  of  Cadore,  April  8,  1810 :  "  The  letters 
which  the  Emperor  and  Empress  of  Austria  have 
received  from  Their  Majesties  have  given  them  the 
greatest  satisfaction,  and  especially  those  brought 
two  evenings  ago  by  the  Count  of  Praslin.  The 
Emperor  was  moved  by  them  to  tears.  This  sentence, 
*  We  suit  each  other  perfectly,'  made  the  deepest  im- 
pression, as  well  as  two  letters  from  Her  Majesty  the 
Empress,  written  in  German,  in  which,  among  other 
things,  she  said,  'I  am  as  happy  as  it  is  possible  to 


THE   HONEYMOON.  203 

be;  my  father's  words  have  come  true,  I  find  the 
Emperor  very  lovable.'  Prince  Metternich  wept 
for  joy  when  he  gave  me  these  details,  and  put  his 
arms  round  my  neck  and  kissed  me.  The  court  is 
perfectly  happy  since  it  has  heard  of  this  meeting, 
and  of  the  affection  and  confidence  each  has  felt  for 
the  other." 

Count  Metternich  sent  to  the  Emperor  Francis  the 
minutest  details  about  the  magnificent  way  in  which 
the  marriage  was  celebrated,  and  the  French  Ambas- 
sador thus  described  that  monarch's  satisfaction: 
"  The  Emperor  of  Austria  received  to-day  from 
Count  Metternich  most  circumstantial  accounts  of 
what  took  place  in  Paris,  April  5,  and  he  expressed 
to  me  his  great  delight.  The  unprecedented  honors 
paid  to  his  daughter  did  not  touch  him  so  much  as 
the  delicacy  displayed  by  His  Majesty  the  Emperor 
Napoleon.  I  am  especially  bidden  to  convey  to  Your 
Excellency  the  expression  of  his  gratitude  for  the 
consideration  His  Majesty  showed  in  relieving  the 
Empress  of  the  ceremony  of  the  first  interview.  By 
urging  Her  Majesty  to  talk  freely  with  Count  Metter- 
nich, the  Emperor  has  also  delighted  his  august 
father-in-law,  who  thoroughly  appreciates  his  noble 
conduct.  The  Empress  said  that  on  this  occasion  she 
received  from  the  Emperor  not  only  the  most  delicate 
consideration,  but  also  the  attentions  and  instructions 
of  an  affectionate  father.  That  report  called  forth 
many  happy  tears,  and  I  cannot  too  strongly  express 
to  Your  Excellency  the  happiness  that  exists  here,  and 


204  THE  EMPEESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

the  desire  that  it  should  be  known  in  Paris.  .  .  .  The 
Emperor  of  Austria  is  much  nattered  by  the  marked 
distinction  with  which  his  Minister  oi  Foreign  Affairs 
[Metternich]  is  treated  in  Paris,  and  he  certainly 
seems  to  deserve  it  by  his  unflagging  zeal  and  his 
unbounded  devotion  to  the  principles  of  the  alliance." 
(Count  Otto's  despatch  of  April  15,  1810.) 

The  famous  Prince  Metternich,  who  was  then  only 
a  count,  and  had  left  his  father  the  Prince  in  charge 
of  the  ministry  in  Vienna,  had  intended  to  stay  only 
four  weeks  in  Paris,  but  he  was  detained  there  nearly 
six  months.  "  I  went  thither,"  he  states  in  his  Me- 
moirs, "  not  to  study  the  past,  but  to  try  to  forecast 
the  future,  and  I  was  anxious  to  succeed  speedily.  I 
said  one  day  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon  that  my  stay 
in  Paris  could  not  be  a  long  one.  '  Your  Majesty,' 
I  said  to  him,  '  had  me  carried  to  Austria,  almost 
like  a  prisoner ;  now  I  have  come  back  to  Paris  of 
my  own  free  will,  but  with  great  duties  to  perform. 
To-day  I  am  recalled  to  Vienna  and  entrusted  with 
an  immense  responsibility.  The  Emperor  Francis 
wanted  me  to  be  present  at  his  daughter's  entry  into 
France ;  I  have  obeyed  his  orders ;  but  I  tell  you 
frankly,  Sire,  that  I  have  a  loftier  ambition.  I  am 
anxious  to  find  the  line  to  follow  in  politics  in  a 
remote  future.'  'I  understand  you,'  the  Emperor 
replied;  'your  wishes  coincide  with  mine.  Remain 
with  us  a  few  weeks  longer,  and  you  will  be  per- 
fectly satisfied.' " 

Metternich  held  a  privileged  position  at  the  French 


THE  HONEYMOON.  205 

court ;  for  he  was  very  amiable  and  charming,  a  per- 
fect man  of  the  world,  an  accomplished  diplomatist, 
and  thoroughly  familiar  with  France  and  the  French, 
moreover,  very  intimate  with  Napoleon  and  the  whole 
Imperial  family.  "  Napoleon  asked  me  one  day,"  he 
says  in  his  Memoirs,  "  why  I  never  went  to  see  the 
Empress  Marie  Louise  except  on  reception  days  and 
other  more  or  less  formal  occasions.  I  answered  that 
I  had  no  reason  for  doing  otherwise,  and  indeed  had 
many  good  reasons  for  doing  as  I  had  done." 

"  By  breaking  the  customary  rule,"  Metternich 
continued,  "  I  should  arouse  comment ;  people  would 
say  that  I  was  intriguing ;  I  should  do  harm  to  the 
Empress  and  injustice  to  my  own  character.  '  Bah ! ' 
interrupted  Napoleon,  '  I  want  you  to  see  the  Em- 
press ;  call  on  her  to-morrow  morning ;  I  will  tell  her 
to  expect  you.'  The  next  day  I  went  to  the  Tuile- 
ries  and  found  the  Emperor  with  the  Empress.  We 
were  talking  commonplaces  when  Napoleon  said  to 
me,  '  I  want  the  Empress  to  talk  to  you  freely,  and 
to  tell  you  what  she  thinks  of  her  position ;  you  are 
her  friend,  and  she  ought  to  have  no  secrets  from 
you.'  Therewith  Napoleon  locked  the  drawing-room 
door,  put  the  key  in  his  pocket,  and  went  out  by 
another  door.  I  asked  the  Empress  what  this  meant, 
and  she  asked  me  the  same  question.  Since  I  saw 
that  she  had  not  been  primed  by  Napoleon,  I  con- 
jectured that  he  evidently  wished  me  to  receive  from 
her  own  lips  a  satisfactory  idea  of  her  domestic  rela- 
tions, in  order  to  give  a  favorable  account  to  her 


206  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

father,  the  Emperor.  The  Empress  was  of  the  same 
opinion.  We  remained  closeted  together  more  than 
an  hour.  When  Napoleon  came  back,  laughing, 
he  said,  '  Well,  have  you  had  a  good  talk  ?  Has  the 
Empress  been  abusing  me  ?  Has  she  been  laughing 
or  crying  ?  But  I  don't  ask  you  to  tell  me  ;  those 
things  are  your  secrets,  -which  do  not  concern  any 
third  person,  not  even  if  that  third  person  is  her  hus- 
band.' We  carried  on  the  conversation  in  that  vein, 
and  I  took  my  leave.  The  next  day  Napoleon 
sought  for  an  opportunity  to  talk  with  me.  '  What 
did  the  Empress  say  yesterday  ?  '  he  asked.  *  You 
told  me,'  I  replied,  '  that  our  interview  did  not  con- 
cern any  third  person ;  let  me  keep  my  secret.'  '  The 
Empress  told  you,'  Napoleon  interrupted,  'that  she 
is  happy  with  me,  that  she  has  nothing  to  complain 
of.  I  hope  you  will  tell  the  Emperor,  and  that  he 
will  believe  you  more  than  any  one  else.'  " 

In  fact,  Metternich  told  the  Emperor  Francis,  and 
he  believed  Metternich.  Moreover,  he  had  every 
reason  to  believe  him ;  for  the  Empress  Marie  Louise 
was  then  perfectly  happy,  and  no  clouds  were  yet  to 
be  seen  on  the  sky  which  was  later  to  be  torn  by  ter- 
rible tempests. 

We  will  end  this  chapter  by  copying  the  curious 
letter  which  Marie  Louise's  step-mother,  the  Empress 
of  Austria,  wrote  to  Napoleon,  April  10,  1810, 
which  expresses  in  a  tone  almost  of  familiarity  the 
favorable  impressions  of  the  Viennese  court:  "My 
brother,  —  I  cannot  express  to  Your  Majesty  the 


THE  HONEYMOON.  207 

feeling  of  gratitude  I  have  experienced  on  receiving 
your  last  letter,  which  has  filled  me  with  joy  by  the 
assurance  it  contains  of  your  satisfaction  with  the 
being  we  have  confided  to  you.  My  maternal  heart 
was  the  more  open  to  this  emotion  because  I  had  felt 
doubtful  about  the  result.  Now,  however,  that  I  am 
reassured  by  Your  Majesty,  I  have  no  further  fear, 
and  I  cheerfully  share  my  daughter's  happiness. 
She  has  described  it  to  me  with  touching  sincerity, 
and  is  never  tired  of  telling  me  how  gratified  she  is 
by  the  many  attentions  she  has  received  since  your 
meeting.  Her  sole  desire  is  to  make  Your  Majesty 
happy,  and  I  venture  to  flatter  myself  that  she  will 
succeed ;  for  I  know  her  character  well,  and  it  is  ex- 
cellent. Louise  promises  to  write  to  me  regularly,  and 
this  somewhat  consoles  me  for  a  real  loss.  It  is  pleas- 
ant to  be  able  to  keep  up  one's  relations  with  a  person 
one  loves,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  feel  for  her  the  tender- 
ness of  a  mother,  so  kind  has  she  been  to  me,  treating 
me  like  a  real  friend.  Your  Majesty  is  good  enough 
to  say  that  your  wife  has  spoken  about  me.  I  am  not 
surprised;  for  I  know  that  she,  like  me,  has  a  very 
loving  heart.  But  with  due  regard  to  truth,  I  can- 
not leave  Your  Majesty  under  any  mistake  with  regard 
to  her  obligations  towards  me.  From  what  she  says 
you  may  form  a  favorable  opinion  of  her  candor.  If 
I  can  boast  of  anything,  it  is  that  I  have  tried  to  pre- 
serve this  candor,  which  may  at  first  have  made  her 
seem  timid,  while  in  fact  it  renders  her  only  the  more 
worthy  of  Your  Majesty's  esteem  and  friendship. 


208  THE  EMP&ESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

"  Some  may  blame  me  because  my  daughter  lias  so 
few  ideas,  such  a  meagre  education.  I  acknowledge 
it;  but  as  to  the  world  and  its  perils,  one  learns  them 
only  too  soon,  and  I  will  say  frankly  she  was  only 
eighteen,  and  I  wanted  to  preserve  her  innocence,  and 
cared  only  that  she  should  have  a  loving  heart,  an 
honest  nature,  and  clear  ideas  about  what  she  did 
know.  I  have  entrusted  her  to  Your  Majesty.  I  beg 
you,  as  her  mother,  to  be  my  daughter's  friend  and 
guide,  as  she  is  your  devoted  wife.  She  will  be 
happy  if  Your  Majesty  will  always  confidently  appeal 
to  her ;  for,  I  say  once  more,  she  is  young  and  too 
inexperienced  to  face  the  world's  dangers  and  to  fill 
her  position  understandingly.  But  I  perceive  that  I 
am  wearying  Your  Majesty  with  this  long  letter. 
You  will  pardon  this  outpouring  of  a  mother's  heart, 
which  knows  no  bounds  when  a  beloved  daughter's 
happiness  is  concerned.  I  must  say  one  thing  more. 
Your  Majesty  sets  too  high  a  value  on  my  eagerness 
to  satisfy  you  by  letting  you  have  the  portrait  of 
my  dear  Louise.  I  was  too  anxious  to  please  you  as 
soon  as  possible,  not  to  be  selfish  in  this  matter,  but  I 
shall  certainly  thoroughly  appreciate  the  portrait  you 
promise  me.  It  will  have  this  advantage,  that  it  will 
show  me  how  happy  she  is." 

It  must  be  said  that  seldom  has  a  step-mother 
spoken  of  her  step-daughter  in  a  more  tender  and  more 
touching  way.  No  letter  could  have  better  pleased 
Napoleon ;  it  was  not  written  in  official  style,  with  all 
the  formal  compliments,  but  rather  with  affectionate 


THE  HONEYMOON.  209 

sincerity.  When  he  read  it,  Napoleon  must  have  felt 
that  he  had  at  last  really  entered  the  brotherhood  of 
kings.  Everything  she  had  said  of  her  step-daughter 
was  true.  The  young  Empress  of  the  French  had  a 
candor,  a  simplicity,  a  freshness  of  mind  and  body, 
which  delighted  her  husband.  Doubtless  the  feeling 
she  inspired  was  not  a  fiery,  romantic  passion  such  as 
he  had  felt  for  his  first  wife ;  and  Marie  Louise,  with 
her  northern  beauty,  had  not  the  same  charm  as 
Josephine,  the  bewitching  Creole.  Napoleon  cer- 
tainly would  not  have  written  to  his  second  wife 
burning  letters,  in  the  style  of  the  Nbuvelle  Httoise, 
such  as  he  sent  to  Josephine  during  the  first  Italian 
campaign.  His  love  for  Marie  Louise  was  less  fer- 
vent, but  he  esteemed  her  more  highly.  He  thought 
that  the  society  of  the  Austrian  court  was  after  all 
a  better  school  for  a  wife  than  the  society  of  the 
Directory,  and  he  had  found  in  Marie  Louise,  a  girl 
worthy  of  all  regard,  one  invaluable  blessing,  one 
treasure  which  a  widow,  charming,  it  is  true,  but  a 
coquette,  lacked ;  namely,  innocence. 


XVI. 

THE  TRIP  IN  THE  NORTH. 

"VTAPOLEON  and  Marie  Louise  left  CompiSgne 
_UN  April  27,  1810,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, to  make  a  journey  in  several  of  the  northern  de- 
partments, which  was  one  long  ovation.  In  their 
suite  were  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wiirzburg,  brother  of 
the  Emperor  of  Austria,  the  Queen  of  Naples,  the 
King  and  Queen  of  Westphalia,  Prince  Eugene  de 
Beauharnais,  Prince  Schwarzenberg,  and  Count  Met- 
ternich.  The  last-named  says  in  his  Memoirs :  "  I 
was  an  eye-witness  of  the  enthusiasm  with  which  the 
young  Empress  was  everywhere  greeted  by  the  popu- 
lace. At  Saint  Quentin  Napoleon  formally  expressed 
his  desire  that  I  should  be  present  at  an  audience  to 
which  he  had  summoned  the  authorities  of  the  city. 
4 1  should  like  to  show  you,'  he  said,  '  how  I  am  ac- 
customed to  speak  to  these  people.'  I  saw  that  the 
Emperor  was  anxious  to  let  me  see  the  extent  and 
variety  of  his  knowledge  of  matters  of  administra- 
tion." 

Those  who  care  to  know  the  adulation  offered  to 
Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  on  this  expedition  should 

210 


THE  TRIP  IN  THE  WORTH.  211 

read  the  following  passage  from  M.  de  Bausset's  Me- 
moirs: "Their  Majesties  went  off  to  visit  some  of 
the  northern  departments,  in  order  to  give  Paris  and 
all  the  great  bodies  of  the  State  the  time  required  for 
preparing  the  festivities  which  circumstances  made 
necessary.  It  was  a  triumphal  march.  The  provinces 
greeted  their  young  and  beautiful  Empress  with  en- 
thusiasm. Amid  all  the  brilliant  tokens  of  respect, 
one  attracted  especial  notice.  It  was  a  little  hamlet, 
with  a  triumphal  arch,  bearing  the  simplest  inscrip- 
tions. On  the  front  was  written  Pater  Noster  ;  on 
the  reverse,  Ave  Maria,  gratid  plena.  The  mayor 
and  the  village  priest  presented  wild-flowers.  Flat- 
tery could  have  devised  no  more  delicate  attention." 
Thus  we  have  M.  de  Bausset  finding  it  simple  to  com- 
pare the  Emperor  to  the  Almighty  and  the  Empress  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin.  Was  not  this  a  sign  of  the  times  ? 

Thiers  says  of  this  journey :  "  The  populace,  glad 
of  a  break  in  their  monotonous  lives,  hasten  to  meet 
their  princes,  whoever  they  may  be,  and  are  often 
lavish  of  their  applause  on  the  very  brink  of  a  catas- 
trophe. Whenever  Napoleon  appeared  anywhere, 
curiosity  and  admiration  were  strong  enough  to 
gather  a  multitude;  and  when  he  had  rounded  out 
his  wonderful  destiny  by  marrying  an  archduchess, 
the  interest  and  enthusiasm  were  all  the  greater. 
Indeed,  everywhere  he  appeared,  their  raptures  were 
warm  and  unanimous." 

Starting  from  CompiSgne  April  27,  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  reached  Saint  Quentin  the  same  day. 


212  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

The  canal  connecting  the  Seine  with  the  Scheldt  was 
illuminated,  and  Napoleon  and  his  court  sailed  over 
it  in  gondolas  richly  decked  with  flags.  On  the  30th 
of  April  they  embarked  on  the  canal  which  goes  from 
Brussels  to  the  Ruppel,  and  by  the  Ruppel  to  the 
Scheldt.  The  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  and  Ad- 
miral Missiessy  were  in  command  of  the  Imperial  flo- 
tilla. When  they  arrived  in  sight  of  the  squadron 
of  Antwerp,  which  Napoleon  had  created,  all  the 
ships,  frigates,  corvettes,  gunboats,  were  drawn  up  in 
line,  and  Marie  Louise  passed  under  the  fire  of  a 
thousand  cannon  thundering  in  her  honor.  When 
the  sovereigns  entered  the  city,  the  throng  was  most 
dense.  "It  expressed,"  the  Moniteur  tells  us,  "the 
gratitude  of  the  inhabitants  for  its  second  founder. 
It  was  impossible  not  to  make  a  comparison  between 
the  present  condition  of  the  port  and  city  of  Antwerp 
with  its  condition  seven  years  before,  on  His  Majesty's 
first  visit." 

At  Antwerp  they  made  a  stay  of  five  days,  which 
the  Emperor,  who  was  on  his  horse  at  sunrise,  spent 
in  visiting  the  works  of  the  port,  the  arsenal,  the 
fortifications,  in  holding  reviews,  in  inspecting  the 
fleet.  May  2  there  was  launched  a  ship  of  eighty 
guns,  the  largest  ship  that  had  ever  been  built  on  the 
stocks  of  this  port.  It  was  blessed  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Mechlin.  According  to  the  Baron  de 
M£neval,  "the  Empress  was  affable,  simple,  and  un- 
pretentious. Possibly  the  memory  of  Josephine's 
charm  and  earnest  desire  to  please  was  a  misfortune 


THE  TRIP  IN   THE  NORTH.  213 

to  Marie  Louise.  Her  reserve  might  have  been 
attributed  to  German  family  pride,  but  that  would 
have  been  a  mistake ;  no  one  was  ever  simpler  or  less 
haughty.  Her  natural  timidity  and  her  unfamiliarity 
with  the  part  she  had  to  play,  alone  gave  her  an  air 
of  stiffness.  She  was  so  thoroughly  identified  with 
her  new  position  and  so  touched  by  the  regard  and 
affection  with  which  the  Emperor  was  treated,  that 
when  he  proposed  to  her  to  stay  at  Antwerp  while 
he  was  visiting  the  islands  of  the  Zuyder  Zee,  she 
besought  him  to  take  her  with  him,  undeterred  by 
any  fear  of  the  fatigues  of  the  journey."  Conse- 
quently Napoleon  started  with  her  to  visit  Bois-le- 
Duc,  Berg-op-Zoom,  Breda,  Middelburg,  Flushing, 
and  the  island  of  Walcheren,  which  the  English  had 
evacuated  four  months  before. 

At  Breda  the  Emperor  soundly  abused  a  deputa- 
tion of  the  Catholic  clergy  whom  he  knew  to  be 
opposed  to  him.  "Gentlemen,"  he  broke  out,  "why 
are  you  not  in  sacerdotal  garments  ?  Are  you  attor- 
neys, notaries,  or  physicians  ?  .  .  .  Render  unto  Caesar 
the  things  which  are  Caesar's.  The  Pope  is  not 
Caesar ;  I  am.  It  is  not  to  the  Pope,  but  to  me,  that 
God  has  given  a  sceptre  and  a  sword.  .  .  .  Ah,  you 
are  unwilling  to  pray  for  me.  Is  it  because  a  Roman 
priest  has  excommunicated  me  ?  But  who  gave  him 
any  such  power?  Who  has  the  power  to  release 
subjects  from  their  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  legally 
appointed  ruler  ?  No  one ;  and  you  ought  to  know 
it.  ...  Renounce  the  hope  of  putting  me  in  a  con- 


214  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

vent  and  of  shaving  my  head,  like  Louis  the  Debo- 
nair, and  submit  yourselves ;  for  I  am  Caesar !  If  you 
don't,  I  shall  banish  you  from  my  empire,  and  scatter 
you  over  the  surface  of  the  earth  like  the  Jews.  .  .  . 
You  belong  to  the  diocese  of  Mechlin;  go  to  your 
bishop;  take  your  oath  before  him,  obey  the  Con- 
cordat, and  then  I  will  see  what  commands  I  shall 
have  to  give  you." 

After  visiting  the  towns  on  the  frontier,  as  well  as 
the  islands  of  Tholen,  Schomven,  North  and  South 
Beveland,  and  Walcheren,  Napoleon,  constantly  ac- 
companied by  Marie  Louise,  ascended  the  Scheldt 
once  more,  merely  passed  through  Antwerp,  made  a 
brief  stop  at  Brussels,  spent  three  days  at  the  castle 
of  Lacken,  and  hastily  ran  through  Ghent,  Bruges, 
Ostend,  Dunkirk,  Lille,  Calais,  Dieppe,  Havre,  and 
Rouen.  June  1, 1810,  they  were  back  at  Saint  Cloud. 
The  Baron  de  Mdneval  tells  us  that  Marie  Louise 
was  extremely  delighted  with  the  way  she  had  been 
greeted  throughout  this  journey.  Everywhere  she 
had  been  received  under  arches  of  triumph,  with 
countless  festivities,  balls,  illuminations,  and  every 
token  of  the  popular  enthusiasm  and  affection,  so 
that  "she  was  able  to  appreciate  the  French  char- 
acter, and  to  decide  that  she  would  readily  grow 
accustomed  to  a  country  where  the  devotion  of  the 
people  to  their  sovereign,  the  enormous  influence  he 
wielded,  and  the  affection  he  bore  to  them,  as  well  as 
theirs  for  his  cause,  rilled  her  with  hopes  for  a  happy 
life." 


THE  TRIP  IN   THE  NORTH.  215 

Napoleon's  life  at  that  time  was  one  long  deifi- 
cation. Louis  XIV.  himself,  the  Sun-King,  had 
never  received  more  flattery  in  prose  and  verse.  All 
the  official  poets  had  tuned  their  lyres  to  sing  his 
marriage,  and  the  Moniteur  was  full  of  dithyrambs. 
It  also  published  a  translation  of  an  Italian  cantata 
entitled,  "La  Jerogamia  di  Greta,  Inno  del  Cavaliere 
Vincenzo  Monti"  which  began  thus:  "The  silence 
of  Olympus  is  broken  up  by  the  noisy  neighing  of 
coursers  and  by  the  prolonged  and  disturbing  rattle 
of  swift  chariots.  The  Immortals  descend  to  the 
banks  of  the  Gnossus  to  celebrate  with  fitting  rites 
the  new  marriage  of  the  ruler  of  the  gods."  It 
ended  thus:  "The  waves  of  two  seas,  in  motion, 
though  no  wind  blows,  roar  in  terror,  and  Neptune, 
alarmed,  feels  with  surprise  his  trident  tremble  in  his 
hand.  If  such  is  the  sport  of  the  monarch  of  thunder 
when  he  yields  to  the  sweets  of  Hymen,  what  will  it 
be  when  he  again  grasps  the  thunderbolt?  Divine 
nurses  of  Jove,  bees  of  Mount  Panacra,  ah !  distil  upon 
my  verses,  from  the  summit  of  Dicte,  one  drop  of  the 
sweet-savored  honey,  food  of  the  King  of  Heaven, 
that  my  august  sovereign,  whose  soul  is  like  Jupi- 
ter's, may  find  some  pleasure  in  hearing  them ! " 

Napoleon  seemed  to  rule  the  present  and  the  fu- 
ture. Even  those  who  had  fought  against  him  had 
become  his  courtiers.  The  most  illustrious  of  these, 
the  Archduke  Charles,  to  whom  he  had  just  sent  the 
broad  ribbon  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  as  well  as  a 
simple  cross  of  a  knight,  which  was  more  precious 


216  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

because  he  himself  had  worn  it,  wrote  to  him :  "  Sire, 
Your  Majesty's  Ambassador  has  transmitted  to  me 
the  decorations  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  the 
affectionate  letter  with  which  you  have  honored  me. 
Being  deeply  impressed  by  these  tokens  of  your  good- 
will, I  hasten  to  express  to  Your  Majesty  my  sincere 
gratitude,  which  is  only  equalled  by  my  admiration 
for  Your  Majesty's  great  qualities.  The  esteem  of  a 
great  man  is  the  fairest  flower  of  the  field  of  honor, 
and  I  have  always  jealously  desired,  Sire,  to  merit 
yours." 

A  stranger  thing  yet :  even  the  Spanish  Bourbons, 
the  victims  of  the  Bayonne  treachery,  the  princes 
whom  Napoleon  had  ousted,  set  no  limits  to  their 
adulation.  Nowhere  was  the  Emperor's  marriage 
with  Marie  Louise  celebrated  with  greater  show  of 
enthusiasm  than  at  the  castle  of  Valengay,  where 
Ferdinand  III.  was  living.  The  Spanish  Prince  had 
a  Te  Deum  sung  in  the  chapel ;  he  gave  a  banquet, 
at  which  he  proposed  this  toast :  "  To  the  health  of 
our  august  Sovereigns,  the  great  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise,  his  august  spouse."  In  the  evening  there  were 
magnificent  fireworks.  He  chose  that  moment  when 
his  subjects  were  exposing  themselves  to  every  danger, 
welcoming  every  sacrifice  in  their  bitter  war  in  his 
name,  against  the  French,  to  beg  Napoleon  to  adopt 
him  as  his  son  and  to  concede  to  him  the  honor  of 
letting  him  appear  at  court. 


XVII. 

THE  MONTH  OF  JUNE,   1810. 

THE  whole  month  of  June  was  filled  with  a  suc- 
cession of  brilliant  festivities.  Under  the  Em- 
pire things  were  not  done  by  halves ;  battles  or  balls, 
everything  was  on  a  vast  scale.  "  Never,"  says  Alfred 
de  Musset,  "  were  there  so  many  sleepless  nights  as 
during  this  man's  lifetime ;  never  was  there  such  a 
silence  when  any  one  spoke  of  death :  and  yet,  never 
was  there  so  much  joy,  so  much  life,  so  much  warlike 
feeling  in  every  heart;  never  had  there  been  a 
brighter  sun  than  that  which  dried  so  much  blood. 
It  was  said  that  God  had  created  it  for  this  man,  and 
it  was  called  the  sun  of  Austerlitz  ;  but  he  made  it 
himself  with  his  ever-roaring  cannon,  that  dispelled 
the  clouds  on  the  morrow  of  his  victories." 

The  entertainment  given  to  the  Emperor  and  Em- 
press by  the  city  of  Paris,  June  10,  was  magnificent. 
There  were  great  rejoicings  in  the  capital  on  that 
day.  In  the  afternoon  there  were  public  sports  in 
the  Champs  Elyse*es,  and  dancing  in  the  open  places 
and  the  long  walks.  With  nightfall  the  illuminations 
began.  A  troupe  of  mountebanks  performed  on  a 

217 


218  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

huge  stage  a  ballet  in  pantomime,  called  the  "  Union 
of  Mars  and  Flora."  There  were  as  many  as  five  hun- 
dred performers.  There  were  bands  playing  in  every 
direction,  and  food  was  distributed  to  the  contented 
multitude.  From  the  Arc  to  the  Tuileries,  from  the 
Tuileries  to  the  Louvre,  from  the  Louvre  to  the  H6tel 
de  Ville,  the  spectacle  was  really  fairy-like.  Napoleon 
and  Marie  Louise,  starting  from  Saint  Cloud  at  eight  in 
the  evening,  made  their  way,  in  torchlight,  through  a 
countless  multitude.  Their  approach  was  announced 
to  the  people  by  the  sudden  ascent  of  a  balloon,  from 
which  fireworks  were  discharged.  At  half-past  nine 
they  reached  the  H6tel  de  Ville.  Nearly  a  thousand 
persons  had  gathered  in  the  concert  hall,  almost  three . 
thousand  in  the  record  room,  the  Hall  of  Saint  John, 
and  in  the  semicircular  place  in  front,  opposite  the 
spot,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Seine,  where  the  fire- 
works were  to  be  set  off  at  a  signal  of  Napoleon  and 
Marie  Louise.  These  fireworks  were  divided  into 
three  parts,  representing  a  military  scene,  the  Temple 
of  Peace,  and  the  Temple  of  Hymen.  In  the  first 
there  were  two  forts  which  soldiers  were  assaulting, 
firing  their  guns  amid  the  sound  of  trumpets  and  the 
rattle  of  drums.  The  forts  were  discharging  shells 
and  bullets,  which  burst  into  flame,  and  were  reflected 
in  the  water  before  they  fell  into  the  river.  When  the 
two  forts  were  captured,  they  disappeared  in  a  great 
blaze.  Then  the  ship,  the  symbol  of  the  city  of  Paris, 
appeared  and  took  its  station  between  two  columns 
of  light.  The  decoration  changed,  and  first  the  Tem- 


THE  MONTH  OF  JUNE,   1810.  219 

pie  of  Peace  was  seen,  then  that  of  Hymen  —  a  real 
pyrotechnic  masterpiece.  After  the  fireworks  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  went  first  into  the  record 
room,  then  into  the  concert  hall,  where  was  sung  a 
cantata,  with  words  by  Arnault  and  music  by  Me"hul, 
which  began  with  this  apostrophe  to  the  Empress :  — 

"  From  the  throne  where  our  homage  rises  to  you, 
From  the  throne  where  beauty  reigns  by  the  side  of  courage, 

And  Minerva  by  the  side  of  Mars, 
On  these  shores  of  which  love  has  made  you  sovereign, 
On  these  happy  shores  adorned  by  the  Seine, 

Louise,  cast  thy  glance." 

After  the  cantata  a  ball  began.  Napoleon  did  not 
dance,  but  Marie  Louise  did.  The  first  quadrille  was 
thus  made  up :  the  Empress  and  the  King  of  West- 
phalia, the  Queen  of  Naples  and  the  Viceroy  of  Italy, 
Princess  Pauline  Borghese  and  Prince  Esterhazy, 
Mademoiselle  de  Saint-Gilles  and  M.  de  Nicola'i. 
The  second  quadrille :  the  Queen  of  Westphalia  and 
Prince  Borghese,  the  Princess  of  Baden  and  Count 
Metternich,  the  Princess  Aldobrandini  and  M.  de 
Montaran,  Madame  Blaque  de  Belair  and  M.  Mallet. 
The  Emperor  descended  from  his  throne  and  walked 
through  the  room,  exchanging  a  few  words  with  a 
great  many  people.  About  midnight  he  withdrew 
with  the  Empress.  At  two  o'clock  supper  was  served: 
at  this  fifteen  hundred  ladies  were  present,  and  the 
ball  went  on  till  daybreak. 

Princess  Pauline  Borghese  gave  a  very  brilliant 


220  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

entertainment  June  14,  at  the  castle  of  Neuilly.  At 
the  end  of  an  illuminated  lawn  appeared  the  Austrian 
palace  of  Laxenburg,  and  the  ballet  consisted  of 
dancers  arrayed  like  peasants  of  the  neighborhood  of 
Vienna.  June  21,  another  great  ball  was  given 
by  the  Duke  of  Feltre,  the  Minister  of  War.  But 
the  finest,  the  most  original,  the  grandest  ball,  was 
that  given  by  the  Imperial  Guard  at  the  Champ  de 
Mars  and  the  Military  School,  at  that  time  called 
the  Napoleon  quarter.  Marie  Louise  was  thoroughly 
delighted  with  it ;  she  said  she  had  never  seen  any- 
thing so  magnificent.  Never  had  Rome  under  the 
Csesars  seen  a  more  gorgeous  spectacle.  For  many 
months  the  public  had  been  watching  the  vast  prep- 
arations for  this  event.  Two  wings  had  been  added 
to  the  Military  School,  large  enough  to  hold  eight 
thousand  persons.  The  main  courtyard  had  been 
transformed  into  a  garden  in  which  were  set  out 
numberless  orange-trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers.  The 
officers  of  the  Guard,  who  were  models  of  French 
politeness,  received  the  ladies  at  the  entrance  of 
this  garden,  offering  each  one  a  bouquet,  and  escorted 
them  to  the  galleries  which  led  to  the  two  newly 
constructed  buildings,  one  of  which  was  the  ball- 
room ;  the  other,  the  supper-room.  The  ball-room 
was  shaped  like  a  tent,  and  the  ceiling  was  decorated 
with  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac  and  allegorical  represen- 
tation of  a  triumph.  A  throne  was  set  there,  above 
seven  rows  of  seats.  All  around  the  room  hung 
muslin  draperies,  on  which  were  embroidered  gold 


THE  MONTH  OF  JUNE,   1810.  221 

bees  and  branches  of  myrtle  and  laurel.  When  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  appeared  at  seven  o'clock, 
three  thousand  women,  each  with  a  bouquet  in  her 
hand,  rose  at  once.  It  seemed  like  a  living  flower- 
garden.  The  wives  of  the  most  illustrious  officers 
of  the  Guard,  the  Duchess  of  Dalmatia,  of  Treviso, 
of  Istria,  Countess  Walter,  Dorsenne,  Curial,  Saint- 
Sulpice,  Lefebore,  Desnonettes,  Krasenska,  Baron- 
esses Kirgener,  Lubenska,  Guiot,  Gros,  Delaistre 
and  Lepic,  had  been  chosen  to  escort  the  Empress. 
Marshal  BessieTes,  Duke  of  Istria,  presented  her 
with  a  magnificent  bouquet. 

Meanwhile  the  Champ  de  Mars,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  flags,  was  filled  with  three  or  four  hundred 
thousand  spectators,  who  had  assembled  quietly, 
without  crowding,  on  the  terrace,  the  amphitheatres, 
and  in  the  walks.  When  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise 
showed  themselves  on  the  balcony  of  the  Military 
School,  there  broke  out  loud  applause.  Afterwards 
dinner  was  served  to  the  Imperial  family.  When 
that  was  finished,  they  gave  the  signal  for  the  horse 
and  chariot  races.  Franconi's  equestrian  troupe 
gave  performances  in  the  intervals.  When  all  the 
prizes  had  been  given,  a  balloon,  carrying  a  woman, 
Madame  Blanchard,  made  an  ascent.  She  saluted 
the  Imperial  pair,  waved  a  flag,  threw  down  flowers, 
and  speedily  attained  a  great  height.  Then  there 
were  fireworks.  Amid  rockets,  bombs,  and  shooting- 
stars,  two  pretty  young  women  walked  up  and  down 
on  the  tight  rope,  like  magical  apparitions,  amid  the 


222  TBE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

encircling  flames.  After  the  fireworks  a  ballet  was 
performed  by  the  dancers  from  the  Opera,  under  the 
direction  of  Gardel ;  it  represented  the  different 
nations  of  Europe  in  their  national  dress.  After 
the  ballet  came  the  ball,  which  was  most  animated. 
Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  left  towards  midnight, 
escorted  to  their  carriage  by  most  of  the  guests,  who 
cheered,  and  did  not  return  to  the  ball-room  until  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  had  gone  out  of  sight.  This 
exceptional  entertainment  was  favored  by  pleasant 
weather  and  a  bright  night ;  the  moon  and  the  stars 
seemed  to  rival  the  illuminations.  The  main  court- 
yard, filled  with  trees  and  flowers,  was  like  the 
enchanted  garden  of  Armida,  where  one  walked 
amid  delicious  music.  At  two  in  the  morning  the 
doors  of  the  supper-room  were  opened,  a  large  bower 
of  gilded  trellis  work,  with  Corinthian  columns, 
and  a  roof  covered  with  frescoes  representing  groups 
of  children  sporting  in  the  air  amid  flowers  and 
garlands.  About  fifteen  hundred  people  sat  down 
to  table. 

The  Imperial  Guard  had  every  reason  to  be  proud 
of  its  entertainment.  The  officers,  young,  brilliant, 
devoted  to  pleasure  as  to  glory,  found  their  life  more 
joyous  as  war  threatened  to  make  it  short.  They  dis- 
played the  same  ardor,  the  same  enthusiasm,  in  the 
ball-room  as  on  the  battle-field.  They  loved  the  smell 
of  flowers  as  much  as  the  smell  of  gunpowder.  Every 
form  of  conquest  tempted  them,  and  they  revived  the 
customs  of  chivalry.  In  the  language  of  the  time, 


THE  MONTH  OF  JUNE,  1810.  223 

there  flourished  the  twofold  reign  of  Mars  and  Venus. 
In  those  heroic  days  courage  was  set  higher  than 
wealth.  The  women,  with  few  exceptions,  were 
indifferent  to  money;  they  did  not  think  that  an 
honorable  scar  disfigured  a  soldier's  face,  and  the 
disinterested  kindness  of  a  beauty  was  the  reward 
of  bravery. 


xvin. 

THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY. 


series  of  grand  entertainments  which  had 
JL  been  given  in  Paris  was  to  be  concluded  by 
a  ball,  which  Prince  Schwarzenberg,  the  Austrian 
Ambassador,  was  to  give  at  the  Embassy,  July  1, 
1810,  to  the  Emperor  and  Empress;  it  had  been 
announced  that  this  was  to  be  a  marvel  of  luxury, 
elegance,  and  good  taste.  The  Ambassador  lived 
in  the  rue  de  la  Chausse*e  d'Antin,  in  a  mansion 
formerly  belonging  to  the  Marchioness  of  Montesson, 
widow  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  to  whom  this  lady  had 
been  united  by  a  morganatic  marriage.  Great  prepa- 
rations had  been  made  with  extraordinary  magnifi- 
cence. Since  the  ground  floor  of  the  house  was  too 
small,  a  large  ball-room  of  wood  had  been  built, 
reached  by  a  gallery,  also  of  wood,  leading  from  the 
body  of  the  house.  The  ceiling  of  this  gallery  was 
covered  with  varnished  paper,  decorated  and  painted; 
the  floor-boards,  which  were  supported  on  a  frame- 
work, were  raised  to  the  same  height  as  the  floors  of 
the  house.  A  large  chandelier  hung  from  the  ceiling 
of  the  ball-room.  The  sides  and  the  circuit  of  the 

224 


THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY.      225 

gallery  were  lit  by  candelabra  fastened  to  the  walls. 
A  high  platform  was  reserved  for  the  Imperial  family, 
in  the  centre  of  the  right-hand  side  of  the  ball-room, 
directly  opposite  a  large  door  opening  on  the  garden. 
Behind  the  platform  was  a  small  door  reserved  for 
the  sovereigns.  The  Ambassador  and  his  wife  had 
staying  with  them  his  brother  and  sister-in-law, 
Prince  Joseph  and  Princess  Pauline  Schwarzenberg, 
who  were  to  help  him  in  doing  the  honors  of  the 
ball. 

Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise,  who  started  from  Saint 
Cloud,  reached  the  gates  of  Paris  at  quarter  to  ten ; 
there  they  got  into  another  carriage,  and  soon  after 
ten  were  at  the  door  of  the  Embassy,  where  the 
Ambassador  received  them.  The  Emperor  wore  over 
his  coat  the  broad  Austrian  ribbon  of  Saint  Stephen. 

The  grand  ball  was  opened ;  a  troupe  of  musicians 
in  the  court  of  honor  sounded  a  flourish  of  trumpets 
at  the  entrance  of  Their  Majesties,  who  passed  through 
the  concert  hall  into  the  garden,  where  they  stopped 
a  moment  before  the  Temple  of  Apollo.  There 
women,  dressed  to  resemble  the  Muses,  sang  a  joy- 
ous chorus.  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  passed 
slowly  along  a  water-walk,  where  hidden  music 
issued  from  a  subterranean  grotto,  to  a  vine-clad 
arbor  adorned  with  mirrors,  monograms,  flowers, 
and  wreaths,  and  listened  to  a  concert  of  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  French  and  German ;  then  they 
went  further  into  the  garden,  stopping  before  a 
Temple  of  Glory,  where  were  four  handsome  women 


226  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

representing  Victory,  the  muse  Clio,  and  Renown; 
then  trumpets  sounded,  triumphal  songs  were  sung, 
and  perfumes  were  burning  on  golden  tripods.  Then 
they  turned  to  see  a  delightful  ballet  danced  on  the 
greensward,  with  a  view  of  the  Palace  of  Laxen- 
burg — so  dear  to  Marie  Louise — in  the  background; 
that  done,  they  entered  the  wooden  gallery  just  put 
up  before  the  front  of  the  mansion,  and  finally  entered 
the  ball-room,  which  was  large  enough  to  hold  about 
fifteen  hundred  people. 

It  was  midnight,  and  so  far  everything  had  gone 
on  without  a  hitch.  The  Emperor  and  Empress 
seemed  delighted;  the  Ambassador  was  radiant; 
every  one  was  enchanted  with  the  magic  of  the 
spectacle.  The  ball  was  opened  with  a  quadrille, 
in  which  the  Queen  of  Naples  danced  with  Prince 
Esterhazy,  and  Prince  Eugene  de  Beauharnais  with 
Princess  Pauline  de  Schwarzenberg.  When  that  was 
over,  the  Emperor  descended  from  his  throne  to  walk 
through  the  room ;  while  the  Empress,  the  Queen  of 
Naples,  and  the  Vice-Queen  of  Italy  remained  in  their 
places  on  the  platform.  Napoleon  had  just  come  up 
to  Princess  Pauline  de  Schwarzenberg,  who  had  pre- 
sented to  him  the  princesses,  her  daughters,  when 
suddenly  the  flame  of  a  candle  set  fire  to  the  curtains 
of  a  window.  Count  Dumanoir,  the  Emperor's  cham- 
berlain, and  several  officers  tried  to  tear  the  curtains 
down ;  but  the  flames  continued  to  spread,  and  in  less 
than  three  minutes  they  had  reached  the  ceiling,  and 
all  the  light  decorations  which  hung  from  it  were 


THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY.     227 

ablaze.  Count  Metternich,  who  happened  to  be  at 
the  foot  of  the  platform,  at  once  ran  up  to  tell  the 
Empress  what  had  happened,  and  to  persuade  her  to 
follow  him  as  soon  as  possible.  As  to  the  Emperor, 
who  was  as  cool  as  if  he  were  on  the  battle-field,  he 
was  able  to  reach  the  platform  to  join  Marie  Louise, 
and  to  escape  with  her  to  the  garden,  urging  every 
one  to  be  calm  in  order  to  avoid  disorder. 

Fortunately  the  means  of  exit  were  wide,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  guests  were  able  to  find  refuge  in 
the  garden ;  but,  alas !  there  were  many  accidents 
and  many  victims.  It  so  happened  that  just  when 
the  fire  started  a  great  many  young  girls  had  left 
their  mothers  to  dance  a  schottische ;  their  mothers 
tried  to  find  them,  and  they  tried  to  find  their 
mothers,  amid  wild  shrieks  and  the  most  desperate 
confusion.  Wives  called  for  their  husbands,  parents 
for  their  children.  The  officers  of  the  Imperial  Guard 
gathered  about  Napoleon  with  drawn  swords,  for  at 
first  they  suspected  treachery  and  waited  for  some 
further  development  of  a  malicious  plot.  Prince 
Schwarzenberg,  who  did  not  leave  the  Emperor,  said 
to  him :  "  I  know  how  this  room  is  built ;  it  is 
doomed;  but  there  are  so  many  exits  that  every  one 
can  escape.  Sire,  I  shall  cover  you  with  my  body." 
Napoleon,  under  his  protection,  reached  the  platform 
with  composure,  took  the  Empress  by  the  hand,  and 
succeeded  in  going  out  with  her.  They  passed 
through  the  garden,  got  into  a  carriage,  and  drove 
to  the  Place  Louis  XV.,  where  they  separated,  the 


THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 


Empress  pushing  on  to  Saint  Cloud,  while  the  Em- 
peror, retracing  his  steps,  went  back  to  the  Austrian 
Embassy,  where  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  help  extin- 
guish the  fire. 

The  Ambassador,  who  had  accompanied  Napoleon 
and  Marie  Louise  to  their  carriage,  went  back  to  the 
house,  then  a  hideous  scene  of  destruction.  A  storm 
had  arisen,  and  a  violent  wind  had  spread  the  ravag- 
ing flames  in  every  direction.  The  Queen  of  West- 
phalia had  fainted  and  had  been  rescued  by  Count 
Metternich;  the  Queen  of  Naples,  Prince  Eugene, 
and  his  wife,  who  was  in  a  delicate  condition,  had 
remained  on  the  platform.  The  Queen  tried  to 
escape  by  the  main  door,  by  which  the  Emperor 
and  the  Empress  had  left;  but  this  was  speedily 
so  blocked  up  by  the  crowd  that  she,  who  was  behind 
every  one,  would  certainly  have  been  caught  by  the 
flames,  like  many  others,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
assistance  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wurzburg  and  of 
Marshal  Marcey,  who  seized  her  and  forced  a  way 
for  her.  Prince  Eugene  saw  the  chandelier  fall,  and 
the  passage  across  the  room  wholly  blocked;  but, 
fortunately,  he  noticed  the  little  door  which  led  into 
the  house,  and  through  that  he  escaped  with  his  wife. 
The  Ambassador  beheld  the  calamity  with  despair. 
His  wife  was  brought  out  senseless,  but  untouched 
by  the  flames.  He  saw  his  brother,  Prince  Joseph  de 
Schwarzenberg,  running  to  and  fro,  wild  with  grief 
and  disquiet ;  he  was  looking  for  his  wife,  Princess 
Pauline  de  Schwarzenberg,  and  could  not  find  her. 


THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY.      229 

What  had  become  of  the  unhappy  mother?  When 
the  fire  broke  out,  knowing  her  eldest  daughter, 
Eleonore,  to  be  safe,  she  had  run  to  the  assistance 
of  her  second  daughter,  Pauline,  who  was  dancing 
the  schottische,  and  led  her  speedily  to  the  steps  of 
the  entrance,  where  the  crowd  was  surging  amid  the 
flames.  A  moment  more,  and  mother  and  daughter 
were  safe :  they  had  but  a  few  steps  to  take  to  be  on 
the  staircase  and  then  in  the  garden,  but  suddenly  a 
falling  beam  separated  mother  and  child,  and  the 
staircase  broke  down  beneath  the  weight  of  the 
struggling  crowd.  Missing  her  daughter,  the  cour- 
ageous princess  plunged  once  more  into  the  bail- 
room.  No  one  knew  what  had  become  of  her;  in 
the  cruel,  heart-wringing  uncertainty  the  stern  face 
of  the  Ambassador  was  wet  with  tears. 

Napoleon  returned  to  the  Embassy,  and  directing 
everything,  supervising  everything  as  on  a  battle- 
field, there  he  stayed  more  than  two  hours,  exposed 
to  a  heavy  rain  which  began  after  the  fire,  and  to  all 
the  heat  and  smoke.  Alone,  unguarded,  evidently 
anxious  to  dispel  all  misinterpretation  which  malev- 
olence could  draw  from  the  unhappy  event,  he 
displayed  great  energy  and  perfect  self-possession. 

It  was  not  till  four  in  the  morning  that  he  returned 
to  Saint  Cloud,  where  he  had  been  most  anxiously 
awaited.  "  From  the  time  that  the  Empress  arrived," 
we  read  in  Constant's  Memoirs,  "we  had  felt  the 
keenest  anxiety ;  every  one  in  the  palace  had  been 
most  uneasy  about  the  Emperor.  At  last  he  arrived, 


230  THE  EMPEESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

unharmed,  but  very  tired;  his  dress  in  disorder,  his 
face  scorched,  his  clothes,  and  stockings  all  black- 
ened and  singed  by  the  fire.  He  went  straight  to 
the  Empress's  room,  to  console  her  for  the  fright  she 
had  had ;  then  he  went  to  his  own  room,  flung  his 
hat  on  the  bed,  dropped  into  an  easy-chair,  saying, 
'  Heavens  !  what  a  festivity  ! '  I  noticed  that  his 
hands  were  all  blackened ;  he  had  lost  his  gloves  at 
the  fire.  He  was  overwhelmed  with  sadness,  and  he 
spoke  with  an  emotion  such  as  I  had  seen  in  him  only 
two  or  three  times  in  his  life,  and  never  about  his 
own  misfortunes.  I  remember  that  he  expressed  a 
fear  that  the  terrible  event  of  that  night  betokened 
future  calamities.  Three  years  later,  in  the  Russian 
campaign,  he  was  told  one  day  that  Prince  Schwar- 
zenberg's  army  corps  had  been  destroyed,  and  that 
the  Prince  himself  had  perished.  It  happened  that 
the  news  was  false ;  but  when  it  was  brought  to  the 
Emperor,  he  said,  as  if  in  accordance  with  a  thought 
that  had  long  haunted  him,  '  It  was  he  then  whom 
that  evil  omen  threatened ! ' ' 

The  morning  of  the  next  day  Napoleon  sent  his 
pages  to  learn  the  news.  The  accounts  they  brought 
back  were  most  gloomy:  the  Princess  de  la  Leyen 
had  died  from  her  injuries ;  General  Touzart  was  in 
a  desperate  condition,  as  well  as  his  wife  and  daughter, 
who,  in  fact,  died  the  same  day.  Prince  Kourakine, 
the  Russian  Ambassador,  was  seriously  injured;  he 
had  made  a  misstep  on  the  staircase  leading  to  the 
garden,  and  had  fallen  senseless  into  the  flames, 


THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY.      231 

which,  fortunately,  had  been  unable  to  get  through 
his  coat  of  cloth  of  gold  and  the  decorations  which 
covered  him  like  a  cuirass;  nevertheless,  it  was  many 
months  before  he  recovered.  "Prince  Joseph  de 
Schwarzenberg,"  says  the  Moniteur  of  July  3,  1810, 
"  spent  the  night  in  looking  for  his  wife,  whom  he 
could  not  find  at  the  Embassy  or  at  Madame  Metter- 
nich's.  He  was  still  ignorant  of  his  loss  when  at  day- 
break there  was  found  in  the  ball-room  a  corpse  which 
Dr.  Gall  thought  that  he  recognized  as  that  of  the 
Princess  Pauline  de  Schwarzenberg.  Further  doubt 
was  impossible  when  her  jewels  with  her  children's 
initials,  which  she  wore  about  her  neck,  were  recog- 
nized. Princess  Pauline  de  Schwarzenberg  was  the 
daughter  of  the  Senator  von  Avenberg,  and  the  mother 
of  eight  children.  She  was  as  renowned  for  her 
personal  charms  as  for  the  distinction  of  her  mind 
and  heart.  The  act  of  devotion  whioh  cost  her  her 
life  shows  how  much  her  loss  is  to  be  regretted,  for 
death  was  certain  amid  the  fury  of  the  flames.  Only 
a  mother  would  have  dared  to  face  the  danger." 

The  Moniteur  adds  to  this  pathetic  account :  "  The 
Austrian  Ambassador  during  the  whole  night  dis- 
played the  zeal,  the  activity,  the  calmness,  and  the 
presence  of  mind  to  be  expected  of  him.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Embassy  and  the  Austrians  who  were 
present  were  tireless  in  their  courage  and  devotion. 
The  public  has  been  most  grateful  to  the  Ambassador 
for  insisting  on  accompanying  the  Emperor  and  the 
Empress  to  their  carriage,  without  regard  to  the 


232  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

dangers  to  which  his  family  was  exposed.  The 
Emperor  left  the  spot  at  about  three  in  the  morning. 
During  the  rest  of  the  night  he  sent  several  times  for 
information  about  the  fate  of  the  Princess  Schwar- 
zenberg.  It  was  not  until  five  o'clock  that  he  received 
word  of  her  death.  His  Majesty,  who  held  this 
princess  in  the  highest  esteem,  sincerely  regrets  her 
sad  lot.  The  Empress  exhibited  the  most  perfect 
calmness  throughout  the  evening.  When  she  heard 
this  morning  of  the  death  of  Princess  Pauline  de 
Schwarzenberg,  she  burst  into  tears." 

The  young  Princess  Pauline,  the  daughter  of  the 
woman  who  had  perished,  \vas  for  a  long  time  in  a 
state  that  caused  the  utmost  anxiety.  Her  mother's 
death  was  concealed  from  her,  but  she  became  uneasy 
at  her  absence,  and  read  on  her  father's  face  the 
marks  of  the  grief  which  he  tried  to  conceal.  At 
last  she  recovered ;  later  she  married  Prince  Schoen' 
burg ;  but  her  wounds  reopened,  and  she  died  a  few 
years  later,  a  victim,  like  her  mother,  of  the  fatal 
ball. 

The  day  after  these  occurrences  Marie  Louise 
wrote  a  letter  in  German  to  her  father,  in  which  she 
said :  "  I  did  not  lose  my  head.  Prince  Schwarzen- 
berg led  the  Emperor  and  me  out  of  the  place, 
through  the  garden.  I  am  the  more  grateful  because 
he  left  his  wife  and  son  in  the  burning  room.  The 
panic  and  confusion  were  terrible.  If  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Wiirzburg  had  not  carried  the  Queen  of 
Naples  away,  she  would  have  been  burned  alive. 


THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  ^EMBASSY.      233 

My  sister-in-law  Catherine,  who  thought  her  husband 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  swooned  away.  The 
Viceroy  had  to  carry  his  wife  off.  Not  a  single  one 
of  my  ladies  or  of  my  officers  was  by  me.  General 
Lauriston,  who  adores  his  wife,  cried  out  in  the  most 
lamentable  way,  and  impeded  us  in  our  flight.  I 
was  calmer  then  than  when  the  Emperor  left  me 
again.  We  sat  up  with  Caroline  until  four  in  the 
morning,  when  he  came  back,  wet  through  with  the 
rain.  The  Duchess  of  Rovigo,  one  of  my  ladies,  is 
seriously  burned.  The  Countesses  Bucholz  and 
Loewenstein,  the  Queen  of  Westphalia's  ladies,  are 
also  injured.  .  .  .  Lauriston,  in  saving  his  wife,  had 
his  hair  and  forehead  singed.  Prince  Kourakine  was 
so  severely  injured  that  he  lost  consciousness ;  in  the 
panic  the  crowd  trampled  upon  him,  and  he  was 
dragged  out  half  dead.  Prince  Metternich  is  hardly 
hurt  at  all.  Prince  Charles  Schwarzenberg,  who  in- 
sisted on  staying  until  every  one  had  got  out,  is 
badly  burned.  The  poor  Ambassador  is  beside  him- 
self, though  he  is  in  no  way  responsible  for  the 
calamity." 

Marie  Louise,  who  had  been  interrupted  at  this 
point,  continued  as  follows :  "  I  have  just  come  from 
the  Emperor,  where  I  heard  a  terrible  piece  of  news. 
Princess  Pauline  Schwarzenberg  has  been  found, 
burned  to  a  crisp.  .  .  .  Her  diamonds  were  lying 
near  her.  She  wore  on  her  neck  a  heart  in  bril- 
liants, on  which  were  engraved  the  names  of  her  two 
daughters,  Eleonore  and  Pauline,  and  it  was  by  this 


234  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

that  she  was  recognized.  She  leaves  eight  children, 
and  was  expecting  another.  Her  family  is  inconsol- 
able. Kourakine  is  very  low ;  so  is  Madame  Duros- 
nel,  the  general's  wife.  I  am  so  distressed  that  I 
cannot  stir." 

The  Emperor  Francis  wrote  to  his  son-in-law  about 
this  distressing  event :  "  July  15.  My  Brother  and 
very  dear  Son-in-law, — It  is  with  the  greatest  satisfac- 
tion that  I  have  heard  that  Your  Imperial  Majesty, 
as  well  as  the  Empress,  my  beloved  daughter,  has 
escaped  the  melancholy  accidents  that  occurred  at 
the  ball  of  my  Ambassador,  Prince  Schwarzenberg. 
I  cannot  express  to  you,  my  brother,  my  gratitude 
for  the  tokens  of  your  interest  which  you  manifested 
on  that  occasion,  and  for  your  personal  exertions,  as 
noble  as  they  were  courageous,  to  arrest  the  prog- 
ress of  the  disaster.  Count  Metternich  and  Prince 
Schwarzenberg  cannot  find  words  to  express  their 
profound  gratitude  for  your  kindness  and  anxiety, 
and  I  beg  Your  Majesty  to  receive  this  expression  of 
all  that  I  have  experienced  in  reading  their  reports." 

The  calamity  produced  a  most  melancholy  impres- 
sion. It  recalled  to  every  one  the  disasters  that 
attended  the  festivities  given  to  Marie  Antoinette 
forty  years  before.  This  ball,  followed  by  a  horrid 
catastrophe,  this  grand  drawing-room,  vanishing  in 
flames,  were  they  not  omens  of  evil  ?  Was  not  the 
great  empire  to  perish  in  the  same  way?  This  fire, 
bursting  forth  in  a  night  of  revelry  and  triumph,  was 
it  not  like  a  prophecy  of  a  still  more  terrible  fire,  that 


THE  BALL  AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY.      235 

which  laid  Moscow  in  ashes?  But  nations  have 
short  memories;  gloomy  presentiments  soon  vanish. 
The  Empire  was  then  so  glorious  that  a  passing  inci- 
dent could  not  seriously  disturb  it,  and  a  few  days 
after  the  catastrophe  it  was  forgotten.  Every  one, 
even  the  enemies  of  France,  felt  the  fascination  of 
this  most  wonderful  career  which  formed  the  strangest 
and  most  improbable  of  romances. 


XIX. 

THE   BERTH   OF  THE   KING   OF   KOME. 

""\T~APOLEON  and  Marie  Louise  grew  fonder  and 
I.  i  fonder  of  each  other  as  time  went  on.  The 
Empress  wrote  to  her  father:  "I  assure  you,  dear 
papa,  that  people  have  done  great  injustice  to  the 
Emperor.  The  better  one  knows  him,  the  better  one 
appreciates  and  loves  him."  Napoleon's  satisfaction 
was  even  greater  when  he  learned  that  his  young 
wife  was  to  bring  him  an  heir;  he  redoubled  his 
solicitous  attention  and  regards;  he  never  blamed 
her,  he  uttered  only  words  of  praise  and  tenderness. 
This  extract  from  Metternich's  Memoirs  will  serve  to 
show  how  anxious  the  Emperor  was  at  this  time  to 
spare  his  wife  every  form  of  annoyance :  "  In  the 
summer  of  1810,  Napoleon  asked  me  to  wait  after 
one  of  his  levees  at  Saint  Cloud.  When  we  were 
alone,  he  asked  me,  with  3ome  embarrassment,  if  I 
would  do  him  a  great  favor.  '  It's  about  the  Empress,' 
he  said ;  '  you  see  she  is  young  and  inexperienced,  and 
she  does  not  understand  the  ways  of  this  country  or 
the  French  character.  I  have  given  her  the  Duchess 
of  Montebello  for  a  companion ;  she  is  an  excellent 
woman,  but  sometimes  a  little  indiscreet.  Yesterday, 

236 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  KING  OF  SOME.          237 

for  example,  when  she  was  walking  with  the  Empress 
in  the  park,  she  presented  one  of  her  cousins  to  her. 
The  Empress  talked  with  him,  and  that  was  a  mis- 
take. If  she  is  going  to  have  young  men,  and  second 
and  third  cousins,  presented  to  her,  she  will  become 
the  tool  of  intrigues.  Every  one  in  France  has  always 
some  favor  to  ask.  The  Empress  will  be  besieged, 
and  will  be  exposed  to  a  thousand  annoyances,  with- 
out being  able  to  do  anything  for  anybody.'  I  told 
Napoleon  that  I  quite  agreed  with  him,  but  that  I  did 
not  see  why  he  confided  this  matter  to  me.  '  It  is,' 
said  Napoleon,  '  because  I  want  you  to  speak  about  it 
to  the  Empress.'  I  expressed  my  surprise  that  he  did 
not  do  that  himself.  'Your  opinion  is  sound  and 
wise,  and  the  Empress  is  too  intelligent  not  to  regard 
it.'  'I  prefer,'  said  Napoleon,  'that  you  should  do 
this.  The  Empress  is  young,  and  she  might  think 
that  I  am  merely  a  cross  husband ;  you  are  her  father's 
minister  and  an  old  friend ;  what  you  may  say  will 
have  a  great  deal  more  weight  with  her  than  any 
words  of  mine.' " 

Napoleon  manifested  great  regard,  not  for  his  wife 
alone,  but  also  for  his  father-in-law,  of  whom  he 
always  spoke  with  warm  sympathy.  When  Count 
Metternich  came  to  bid  farewell  before  returning  to 
Vienna,  at  the  end  of  September,  1810,  Napoleon 
charged  him  to  convey  to  the  Emperor  Francis  the 
most  positive  assurances  of  his  friendship  and  devo- 
tion. "  The  Emperor  must  be  sure,"  he  said,  "  that 
my  only-  wish  is  for  his  happiness  and  prosperity. 


238  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

He  must  reject  any  idea  of  my  encroaching  on  his 
monarchy.  That  cannot  fail  to  grow,  and  speedily 
too,  through  our  alliance.  Assure  him  that  anything 
which  he  may  hear  to  the  contrary  is  false.  I  had 
rather  have  him  than  any  one  of  my  own  brothers  on 
the  Austrian  throne,  and  I  don't  see  any  cause  for 
quarrel  between  us." 

Early  in  July,  when  their  hopes  were  still  vague, 
Marie  Louise  wrote  to  her  father:  "Heaven  grant 
that  they  may  prove  true !  The  Emperor  would  be 
so  happy ! "  And  later  she  wrote :  "  I  can  assure  you, 
dear  papa,  that  I  look  forward  without  dread  to  this 
event,  which  will  be  a  great  happiness."  The  official 
notification  of  her  condition  was  not  made  till  Novem- 
ber, when  Napoleon  sent  the  Baron  de  Mesgrigny  to 
Vienna  with  two  letters,  one  from  himself  and  one 
from  the  Empress,  to  the  Emperor  Francis.  "  This 
letter,"  Marie  Louise  wrote,  "  is  to  announce  to  you, 
dear  papa,  the  great  news.  I  take  this  opportunity 
to  ask  your  blessing  for  me  and  for  your  grandchild. 
You  may  imagine  my  delight.  It  will  be  complete  if 
the  event  shall  bring  you  to  Paris."  The  hope  of 
seeing  her  father  soon  was  continually  present  with 
her,  and  Napoleon  encouraged  it.  As  she  wrote  to 
her  father,  "  My  husband  often  speaks  of  you  and  is 
anxious  to  see  you  again." 

The  Emperor  Francis  answered  his  son-in-law,  De- 
cember 3,  1810,  in  these  terms :  "  My  Brother  and 
very  Dear  Son-in-law,  —  The  letter  which  M.  de 
Mesgrigny  has  handed  to  me  fills  me  with  the  live- 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  KING  OF  ROME.          239 

liest  joy.  The  happy  event  which  it  mentions  arouses 
my  fullest  sympathy.  My  best  wishes  go  out  to  you, 
my  brother,  and  the  present  condition  of  things 
which  your  letter  announces,  is  too  intimately  con- 
nected with  our  reciprocal  satisfaction  for  me  not  to 
set  the  greatest  store,  as  friend  and  father,  by  the 
news  you  give  me.  .  Everything  which  Your  Majesty 
says  about  your  domestic  happiness  is  corroborated 
by  my  daughter;  in  no  way  can  you,  my  brother, 
contribute  more  directly  to  my  own.  I  knew  the 
excellent  traits  of  my  daughter  when  I  entrusted  her 
to  you,  and  Your  Imperial  Majesty  must  be  sure  that 
my  only  consolation  for  the  separation  is  her  happi- 
ness, which  is  inseparable  from  that  of  her  husband." 

Napoleon  asked  of  the  Bishops  and  Archbishops 
special  prayers  in  behalf  of  the  Empress.  December 
2,  the  anniversary  of  his  coronation,  and  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Austerlitz,  he  gave  an  audience  to  the  Senate, 
who  came  to  thank  him  for  the  notification  of  the 
Empress's  expectations.  At  the  Tuileries  that  day 
was  celebrated  by  mass  a  Te  Deum,  an  illumination, 
and  a  play.  Twelve  young  girls,  who  were  dowered 
by  the  Empress,  were  married  in  the  Cathedral,  and 
there  was  a  generous  distribution  of  alms. 

The  Emperor  founded  a  society  of  Maternal  Char- 
ity, to  aid  poor  women  during  their  confinement. 
The  Empress  was  appointed  patroness  of  the  society, 
and  Mesdames  de  Se*gur  and  de  Pastoret  Vice-Presi- 
dents ;  a  thousand  ladies  joined  it,  and  fifteen  held 
offices;  there  was  a  Grand  Council  which  sat  in 


240  THE  EMPBESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

Paris,  and  administrative  councils  were  appointed  for 
the  provinces.  The  Grand  Almoner  was  made  sec- 
retary, and  there  was  a  general  treasurer.  The  capi- 
tal of  the  society  amounted  to  five  hundred  thousand 
francs,  raised  in  part  from  the  public  funds,  and  in 
part  by  voluntary  subscriptions,  which  soon  furnished 
the  required  sum. 

New  Year's  Day  was  approaching,  and  Marie  Lou- 
ise desired  a  set  of  Brazilian  rubies,  costing  forty- 
six  thousand  francs.  As  she  wanted  to  make  some 
presents  to  her  sisters,  and  these  cost  twenty-five 
thousand  francs,  she  saw  that  only  fifteen  thousand 
francs  would  be  left  of  her  December  allowance. 
Consequently  she  denied  herself  the  rubies,  and  for- 
bore to  say  anything  about  them  to  the  Emperor. 
But  Napoleon  happened  to  hear  of  it,  and  was  de- 
lighted with  his  wife's  economy  and  sense  of  order, 
which  he  rewarded  in  the  most  delicate  manner. 
He  secretly  ordered  of  the  crown-jeweller  a  set  of 
rubies  like  the  one  she  had  wanted,  but  worth  be- 
tween three  and  four  hundred  thousand  francs,  and 
surprised  her  with  these,  an  attention  by  which  she 
was  highly  gratified.  He  asked  her  at  the  same  time 
if  she  had  thought  of  sending  any  New  Year's 
presents  to  her  sisters,  the  Archduchesses.  She 
answered  yes,  arid  that  she  had  ordered  for  the 
young  Princesses  presents  worth  together  something 
like  twenty-five  thousand  francs.  Napoleon  thought 
that  a  rather  small  sum ;  but  she  told  him  that  they 
were  not  so  spoiled  as  she  was,  and  that  they  would 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  SING  OF  ROME.          241 

think  their  presents  superb.  Then  the  Emperor 
presented  her  with  a  hundred  thousand  francs. 

In  January,  1811,  the  Emperor  thus  thanked  Napo- 
leon for  a  portrait  of  his  daughter,  the  Empress :  — 

"  My  Brother,  —  The  delicate  way  in  which  Your 
Imperial  Majesty  has  fulfilled  my  wishes  by  sending 
me  the  portrait  of  the  Empress,  your  dear  wife, 
lends  a  new  value  to  the  letter  you  have  written  to 
me.  I  hasten  to  give  expression  to  the  joy  which  I 
feel  in  seeing  the  features  of  my  beloved  daughter, 
which  seem  to  add  to  a  perfect  likeness  the  merit  of 
expressing  her  happiness  in  a  congenial  marriage." 

The  Countess  of  Montesquiou,  a  most  worthy 
woman,  was  appointed  Governess  of  the  Imperial 
children,  with  two  assistants,  Mesdames  de  Mesgrigny 
and  de  Boubers,  and  later  a  third,  Madame  Soufflot. 
A  nurse  was  chosen,  —  a  sturdy,  healthy  woman,  wife 
of  a  joiner  at  Fontainebleau ;  and  two  cribs  were  pre- 
pared,—  a  blue  one  for  a  prince,  a  pink  one  for  a 
princess.  The  baby-linen,  which  was  valued  at  three 
hundred  thousand  francs,  aroused  the  admiration  of 
all  the  ladies  of  the  court. 

In  January  and  February,  1811,  Marie  Louise  still 
went  about.  She  drove  to  the  hunt  in  the  forest  of 
Vincennes,  in  that  of  Saint  Germain,  and  at  Ver- 
sailles. She  used  to  walk  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne 
with  Napoleon.  Towards  the  middle  of  February 
great  preparations  began  to  be  made  for  the  happy 
event.  Dr.  Dubois  was  installed  at  the  Tuileries,  in 
the  apartments  of  the  Grand  Marshal  of  the  Palace, 


242  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

and  the  Duchess  of  Montebello,  lady-in-waiting,  took 
up  her  quarters  in  the  palace.  Marie  Louise,  who 
had  gone  to  a  fancy  ball  at  the  Duchess  of  Rovigo's, 
February  10,  was  present  on  the  25th  at  a  quiet  ball 
given  at  the  Tuileries,  at  which  were  present  only 
two  strangers, — Prince  Schwarzenberg,  the  Austrian 
Ambassador,  and  Prince  Leopold  of  Coburg. 

March  5  Count  Frochot,  Prefect  of  the  Seine,  came 
to  the  Tuileries,  at  the  head  of  the  Municipal  Coun- 
cil, to  present,  in  the  name  of  the  city  of  Paris,  a 
magnificent  red  cradle,  shaped  like  a  ship,  the  emblem 
of  the  capital.  This  cradle,  a  real  masterpiece,  had 
been  designed  by  Prudhon  the  artist,  and  is  now  in 
the  Imperial  Treasury  of  Vienna,  to  which  it  was 
given  by  the  King  of  Rome  when  Duke  of  Reich- 
stadt.  The  ornamentation,  which  is  in  mother-of- 
peaii  and  vermilion,  is  set  on  a  ground  of  orange-red 
velvet.  It  is  formed  of  a  pillar  of  mother-of-pearl, 
on  which  are  set  gold  bees,  and  is  supported  by  four 
cornucopias,  near  which  are  set  the  figures  of  Force 
and  Justice.  At  the  top  there  is  a  shield  with  the 
Emperor's  initials,  surrounded  by  three  rows  of  ivy 
and  laurel.  A  figure  representing  Glory  overhanging 
the  world,  holds  a  crown,  in  the  middle  of  which 
shines  Napoleon's  star.  A  young  eagle  at  the  foot 
of  the  cradle  is  gazing  at  the  conqueror's  star,  with 
wings  spread  as  if  about  to  take  flight.  A  curtain 
of  lace,  covered  with  stars  and  ending  in  rich  gold 
embroidery,  hangs  over  each  side. 

When  Marie  Louise's  walks  were  limited  to  the 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  KING  OF  ROME.          243 

terrace  of  the  Tuileries,  by  the  side  of  the  sheet  of 
water  that  bounds  the  garden,  a  small  doorway  with 
an  iron  grating  was  thrown  open  into  the  first  floor 
of  the  palace,  to  make  easier  her  access  to  the  spot. 
Around  the  grating  the  crowd  used  to  gather  to 
watch  the  Empress  and  respectfully  to  offer  her  their 
best  wishes. 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  March  19th,  1811, 
the  great  bell  of  Notre  Dame  and  all  the  church  bells 
sounded,  bidding  the  faithful  spend  the  night  in  prayer 
and  to  invoke  the  blessings  of  Heaven  on  their  Em- 
press and  the  child  which  was  about  to  enter  the  world. 
With  Marie  Louise  there  were  M.  Dubois,  the  Duch- 
ess of  Montebello,  the  Countess  of  Lugay,  Mesdames 
Durand  and  Ballant,  ladies-in-waiting,  ladies  of  the 
bedchamber,  etc.,  and  Madame  Blaise.  The  Emperor, 
his  mother  and  sisters,  and  two  physicians,  Drs.  Cor- 
visart  and  Bourdier,  were  in  the  next  room.  Napo- 
leon kept  going  in  and  out  of  his  wife's  chamber, 
encouraging  her  with  kind  and  cheery  words.  At 
five  in  the  morning  Dubois  thought  that  the  birth 
was  not  immediate,  and  the  Emperor  sent  away  the 
princesses,  and,  tired  out  by  anxiety  and  his  pro- 
longed watch,  went  to  take  a  bath.  But  Dubois  soon 
found  that  he  was  mistaken,  and  ran  to  get  Napo- 
leon. He  was  trembling  with  anxiety  when  he  burst 
open  the  door  of  the  Emperor's  room,  finding  him  in 
his  bath,  and  told  him  that  he  feared  that  he  should  not 
be  able  to  save  both  the  mother  and  the  child.  "  Come, 
come,  Mr.  Dubois,"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  "  don't  lose 


244  THE  EMPEESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

your  head;  save  the  mother;  think  only  of  the 
mother.  .  .  .  Imagine  she's  some  shopkeeper's  wife 
in  the  Rue  Saint  Denis,  that's  all  I  ask  of  you;  and, 
in  any  case, — I  repeat  it, — save  the  mother.  ...  I 
shall  be  with  you  in  a  moment."  Thereupon  he 
sprang  out  of  his  bath,  threw  himself  into  a  dressing- 
gown,  and  hastened  to  Marie  Louise's  bedside.  He 
found  her  in  great  suffering,  and  grew  very  pale. 
Never  on  the  field  of  battle  had  he  displayed  such 
emotion ;  but  he  tried  to  hide  his  anguish,  and  kissed 
his  wife  very  gently,  reassuring  her  with  tender 
words.  But,  unable  to  control  himself,  and  fearful 
of  adding  to  her  already  excessive  alarm,  he  hurriedly 
went  into  the  next  room,  and  there,  listening  to  every 
sound,  as  pale  as  death,  trembling  from  head  to  foot, 
he  passed  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  intense  anxiety. 
At  last,  and  with  difficulty,  the  child  was  born;  at 
first  it  was  supposed  to  be  dead,  and  for  seven  minutes 
it  gave  no  sign  of  life.  The  Emperor  hastened  to 
Marie  Louise  and  kissed  her  most  tenderly.  He 
thought  only  of  her ;  he  did  not  give  a  look  to  the 
child.  He  had  decided  to  care  for  nothing  if  only 
the  Empress  was  saved.  A  few  drops  of  brandy 
were  poured  into  the  prince's  mouth ;  he  was  gently 
slapped  all  over  and  wrapped  in  hot  towels,  and  he 
came  to  life  with  a  little  cry.  Napoleon,  wild  with 
joy,  kissed  him.  The  thought  that  he  had  a  son  filled 
him  Avith  rapture  such  as  none  of  his  triumphs  had 
given  him.  "  Well,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  when  he 
went  back  to  his  own  room,  "we  have  got  a  fine, 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  KING   OF  ROME.          245 

healthy  boy.  We  had  to  urge  him  a  little,  to  per- 
suade him  to  come,  but  there  he  is  at  last ! "  And 
then  he  added,  with  deep  emotion:  "My  dear  wife! 
What  courage  she  has,  and  how  she  has  suffered !  I 
had  rather  never  have  any  more  children  than  see 
her  suffer  so  much  again." 

All  this  while  the  people  of  Paris  were  in  a  state 
of  expectancy,  wondering  whether  the  child  was  to 
be  a  boy  or  a  girl.  If  a  boy,  he  would  have  a  fine- 
sounding  name.  According  to  a  decree  calling  the 
Eternal  City  the  second  city  of  the  French  Empire, 
which  had  become  the  capital  of  a  simple  department, 
—  the  department  of  the  Tiber,  —  and  in  accordance 
with  old  usages  of  the  Holy  German  Empire,  by 
which  the  prince  destined  to  succeed  the  Germanic 
Caesar,  was  called  King  of  the  Romans  before  bearing 
the  title  of  Emperor,  Napoleon's  son  was  to  be  called 
the  King  of  Rome.  But  would  Napoleon  have  a  son? 
Would  Heaven  crown  his  unexampled  prosperity  with 
this  new  favor  ?  That  was  the  subject  of  conversa- 
tion everywhere,  in  the  grandest  mansions  as  in  the 
humblest  garrets.  From  daybreak  of  March  20th 
the  Tuileries  garden  was  crowded  with  people  of  all 
ages  and  conditions.  The  courtyards  and  quays 
were  thronged.  In  the  garden,  along  the  terrace, 
in  front  of  the  palace,  a  rope  was  stretched  from 
the  grating  by  the  Pont  Royal  to  the  Pavilion  de 
1'Horloge.  The  crowd  was  so  fearful  of  disturbing 
the  Empress  that  this  frail  barrier,  this  simple  rope, 
was  more  respected  than  would  have  been  a  lofty 


246  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

wall.  The  assemblage,  which  had  been  growing  ever 
since  six  o'clock,  remained  at  some  distance  from  the 
rope,  and  only  spoke  in  a  low  voice.  They  waited  in 
extreme  impatience,  yet  in  perfect  quiet,  for  the  sound 
of  the  cannon  of  the  Invalides.  If  it  was  a  girl,  only 
twenty-one  guns  would  be  fired ;  if  a  boy,  there  would 
be  a  hundred  and  one.  .  .  .  Every  window  was 
opened ;  in  the  squares  and  streets  everything  stood 
still,  —  foot-passengers,  horses,  carriages.  The  cannon 
of  the  Invalides  was  heard,  and  the  anxious  multi- 
tudes in  deep  emotion  began  to  count,  at  first  very 
low,  but  gradually  louder  —  one,  two,  three,  four,  and 
so  on  up  to  twenty.  Then  the  excitement  was  tre- 
mendous. Twenty-one.  Is  that  all  ?  No ;  there  is  the 
twenty-second,  and  the  rest  of  the  hundred  and  one 
are  to  follow ;  but  there  was  no  more  need  of  count- 
ing :  Napoleon  had  a  son !  At  once  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  multitude  broke  forth  like  a  volcano.  Cheers, 
hats  tossed  in  the  air,  loud  cries  of  joy,  universal, 
noisy  delight,  what  a  sight  for  the  Emperor,  as  he 
stood  at  one  of  the  Empress's  windows,  gazing  in 
silence  at  the  rapturous  crowd !  Tears  flowed  down 
his  cheeks.  "  Never  had  his  glory  brought  a  tear  to 
his  eyes,"  Constant  informs  us ;  "  but  the  happiness  of 
fatherhood  softened  this  soul  which  the  most  brilliant 
victories,  the  sincerest  tributes  of  public  adoration, 
had  left  untouched.  Indeed,  if  Napoleon  ever  had 
reason  to  believe  in  his  good  fortune,  it  was  on  the 
day  when  the  Archduchess  of  Austria  made  him  the 
father  of  a  king,  him  who  had  begun  as  the  younger 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  KING   OF  ROME.          247 

son  of  a  Corsican  family.  In  a  few  hours  the  event 
which  France  and  Europe  had  been  awaiting  was  a 
festival  in  every  family." 

At  half-past  ten  the  aeronaut,  Madame  Blanchard, 
set  forth  in  a  balloon  from  the  Champ  de  Mars,  to 
throw  down  papers  announcing  the  great  news  to  the 
populace.  The  telegraph,  unimpeded  by  any  mist,  — 
for  it  was  a  lovely  spring  day,  —  began  to  work  in 
every  direction,  and  by  two  o'clock  answers  had  been 
received  from  Lyons,  Brussels,  Antwerp,  Brest,  and 
other  large  towns  of  the  Empire.  All  of  course  gave 
expression  to  the  wildest  enthusiasm.  In  the  course 
of  the  day  Napoleon  wrote  to  his  father-in-law,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  to  inform  him  of  the  happy  event. 
"  These  are  very  good  letters,"  he  said ;  "  I  have  never 
written  better  ones."  Officers  of  the  Emperor's  house- 
hold, pages,  and  couriers  were  despatched  with  letters 
and  messages  for  the  great  bodies  of  the  State,  for  the 
towns  and  cities,  for  the  Ambassadors  and  Ministers 
of  France  and  other  powers.  The  Empress  Josephine 
was  not  forgotten ;  Napoleon  sent  a  page  to  her  in 
her  castle  of  Navarre,  in  Normandy. 

On  the  very  day  of  his  birth  the  King  of  Rome  was 
privately  christened  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  in 
the  chapel  of  the  Tuileries,  surrounded  by  his  family 
and  the  court;  the  Emperor  took  his  place  in  the 
middle  of  the  chapel,  on  a  chair  with  a  prayer  desk 
before  it,  beneath  a  canopy.  Between  the  altar  and  the 
rail,  on  a  granite  base  covered  with  white  velvet,  had 
been  set  a  superb  vermilion  vase  which  served  for  the 


248  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

baptismal  font.  When  Napoleon  approached  to  pre- 
sent his  son,  there  was  a  moment  "of  religious  silence, 
which  contrasted  with  the  noisy  gayety  of  the  vast 
crowd  which  had  gathered  near  the  Tuileries  from 
every  quarter  of  the  city  to  see  the  fireworks  and  the 
magnificent  illumination.  "  The  houses,"  Constant 
says  in  his  Memoirs,  "  were  illuminated  voluntarily. 
Those  who  try  to  make  out  from  the  outside  ap- 
pearance the  real  thoughts  of  a  people  on  occasions 
like  this,  observed  that  the  highest  stories  in  the 
remotest  quarters  were  as  bright  as  the  most  sumptu- 
ous mansions.  The  public  buildings,  which  are  gen- 
erally most  brilliant  in  contrast  with  the  darkness  of 
the  neighboring  houses,  now  were  scarcely  to  be 
distinguished  in  the  profusion  of  lights  which  the 
rejoicing  public  had  set  in  every  window.  The  boat- 
men improvised  a  festival  which  lasted  nearly  all 
night,  and  attracted  a  huge  and  happy  crowd  to  the 
banks  of  the  river.  The  populace  who  had  been 
through  so  many  emotions,  had  celebrated  so  many 
victories  in  the  last  thirty  years,  displayed  as  much 
enthusiasm  as  if  this  were  the  first  of  its  festivities  in 
honor  of  a  happy  change  in  its  destiny." 

March  22,  Napoleon  received  in  the  throne-room 
at  the  Tuileries  the  great  bodies  of  the  State.  . 

"  Your  people,"  said  the  President  of  the  Senate, 
"  greet  Avith  unanimous  applause  this  new  star  rising 
above  the  horizon  of  France,  whose  first  ray  scatters 
every  shadow  of  future  gloom." 

When  we   think  of   the  end  of  this  matter,  and 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  KING  OF  ROME.          249 

reflect  that  this  King  of  Rome  was  to  be  deprived  not 
merely  of  his  title  of  Prince  Imperial  and  of  King, 
but  of  the  name  of  Napoleon  and  of  Bonaparte,  that 
he  was  destined  to  be  known  as  Francis,  Duke  of 
Reichstadt,  and  to  be  buried  in  the  Church  of  the 
Capuchins  in  Vienna,  in  Austrian  uniform,  is  it  pos- 
sible to  repress  a  sad  smile  at  the  simple  optimism  of 
courts?  In  1811  illusions  were  universal.  "Amid 
all  our  triumphs,"  says  General  de  Se*gur,  "  when 
even  our  enemies,  at  last  resigning  themselves  to  their 
fate,  seemed  hopeless,  or  had  rallied  to  the  side  of 
our  Emperor,  what  pretext  was  there  for  gloom,  or 
for  any  foreboding  of  a  total  or  partial  eclipse  ?  It 
was  pleasanter  to  trust  in  his  star,  which  dazzled  us 
from  its  height,  so  many  wonders  had  it  wrought ! .  .  . 
And  how  many  of  us,  despite  the  ever-shifting  sky  of 
France,  when  we  see  it  clear,  are  tempted  to  think 
that  no  change  threatens,  and  are  every  day  surprised 
by  some  sudden  storm !  Who,  when  he  hears  that 
some  apparently  healthy  person  has  dropped  dead, 
is  not  astonished?  We  were  in  just  such  case,  when, 
March  20,  1811,  Heaven,  feeding  our  pride  to  make 
our  humiliation  deeper,  vouchsafed  the  conclusion  of 
the  fairy-show  and  completed  the  illusion  with  the 
birth  of  the  King  of  Rome."  Napoleon,  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  every  happiness  and  of  every  triumph,  had 
reached  the  lofty  summit  of  glory  and  prosperity ; 
from  this  he  was  soon  to  fall  in  a  swift,  giddy  flight, 
at  the  end  of  which  opened  a  terrible  abyss,  full  of 
blood  and  tears. 


XX. 

THE  RECOVERY. 

MARIE  LOUISE  made  a  quick  recovery,  and  her 
restoration  to  health  delighted  both  her  hus- 
band and  herself.  Her  father,  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria, sympathized  with  their  happiness,  as  is  shown  by 
the  following  letter  of  his  to  Napoleon,  dated  March  27, 
1811 :  "  My  Dear  Brother  and  Son-in-Law,  —  It  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  express  in  a  formal  letter  of  this  sort 
the  satisfaction  I  feel  at  the  good  news  you  have  sent 
to  me  about  my  daughter.  Your  Majesty  must  already 
know  my  keen  interest  in  an  event  of  such  impor- 
tance, both  for  her  and  for  France,  as  the  birth  of  a 
prince,  and  the  fact  that  this  is  safely  over  only  aug- 
ments my  joy.  May  Heaven  preserve  this  new  pledge 
of  the  ties  uniting  us  !  Nothing  could  be  more  pre- 
cious or  surer  to  unite  firmly  the  happy  bonds  exist- 
ing between  the  two  Empires." 

Napoleon,  on  the  20th  of  March,  had  despatched 
to  Vienna  Count  Nicolai,  who  arrived  there  on  the 
28th.  On  that  day  Francis  wrote  to  his  son-in-law : 
"My  Brother  and  Dear  Son-in-Law,  —  Count  Nic- 
olai has  this  moment  delivered  to  me  the  two  let- 
250 


THE  RECOVERY.  251 


ters  of  Your  Majesty.  Since  I  am  unwilling  to  delay 
a  courier,  who  is  on  the  point  of  departure,  and  will 
carry  to  Your  Majesty  and  to  the  Empress  the  first 
expressions  of  my  delight  at  the  happy  event,  I  post- 
pone my  formal  answer  to  Your  Majesty's  invitation 
to  hold  his  son  at  the  baptismal  font,  but  I  hasten  to 
take  this  opportunity  to  say  that  I  accept  so  agreeable 
a  duty. 

"All  the  details  which  Your  Majesty  gives  me 
about  the  birth  of  the  prince  arouse  my  sincerest  in- 
terest. Your  letter  proves  your  kindness  towards  a 
wife  who  returns  it  with  affection  as  deserved  as  it  is 
sincere,  and  for  this  I  hereby  express  all  my  gratitude. 
I  thank  you,  too,  for  the  full  details  you  have  written 
to  me.  I  know  the  Empress  well  enough  to  be  sure 
that,  though  her  sufferings  were  great,  the  happiness 
of  satisfying  the  wishes  of  Your  Majesty  and  of  your 
people  is  an  ample  compensation.  I  am  sure  that 
Your  Majesty's  presence  must  have  given  her  strength 
and  her  attendant  confidence  in  difficult  circum- 
stances. Your  Majesty  has  already  so  many  claims 
upon  my  friendship  that  these  details  were  not  needed 
to  induce  me  to  cherish  more  and  more  the  bonds  that 
unite  us,  and  which  I  charge  my  daughter  and  her 
son  to  make  even  closer." 

The  health  of  Marie  Louise  and  of  the  King  of 
Rome  was  perfect.  In  order  to  respond  to  the  eager- 
ness of  the  crowd  that  was  ever  thick  at  the  doors  of 
the  Tuileries  in  search  of  news  about  the  Empress 
and  the  young  prince,  it  had  been  decided  that  one 


252  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

of  the  chamberlains  should  be  present  all  day  in  the 
first  drawing-room  of  the  grand  apartment,  to  receive 
all  who  came  and  report  to  them  the  bulletin  issued 
twice  a  day  by  the  physicians.  But  soon  that  was 
stopped,  and  there  were  no  more  bulletins,  the  mother 
and  child  being  perfectly  well.  April  6,  Marie  Louise 
got  up  and  wrote  six  lines  to  her  father.  The  17th 
she  walked  on  the  terrace  by  the  water,  amid  the 
applause  of  the  crowd.  The  next  day  Prince  Clary, 
whom  the  Emperor  of  Austria  had  sent  from  Vienna, 
was  received.  Napoleon  spoke  for  a  long  time  about 
the  courage,  the  virtue,  the  kindness,  the  excellent 
education,  the  exquisite  tact,  and  the  perfect  dignity 
of  the  Empress.  "Moreover,"  he  added,  "  every  one 
admires  her."  The  same  day,  April  18,  the  Empress 
drove  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  was  present  at  a 
reception  to  receive  the  congratulations  of  the  Diplo- 
matic Body.  The  churching  took  place  the  next  day, 
the  19th,  in  the  chapel  of  the  Tuileries.  Prince  Rohan 
officiated. 

April  21,  Marie  Louise  and  the  Emperor  went  to 
Saint  Cloud,  whence,  two  days  later,  she  wrote  to  her 
father  the  following  letter,  published  by  M.  von  Hel- 
f ert  in  German  :  "  My  dear  Father,  —  You  may  im- 
agine my  great  bliss.  I  never  could  have  imagined  that 
I  could  be  so  happy.  My  love  for  my  husband  has 
grown,  if  that  is  possible,  since  my  son's  birth.  I 
cannot  think  of  his  tenderness  without  tears.  It 
would  make  me  love  him  now,  if  I  had  never  loved 
him  before,  for  all  his  kind  qualities.  He  tells  me  to 


THE  RECOVERY.  253 


speak  to  you  about  him.  He  often  asks  after  you, 
and  says,  'Your  father  ought  to  be  very  happy  to 
have  a  grandson.'  When  I  tell  him  that  you  already 
love  my  child,  he  is  delighted.  I  am  going  to  send 
you  a  portrait  of  the  boy.  I  think  you  will  see  how 
much  he  looks  like  the  Emperor.  He  is  very  strong 
for  only  five  weeks.  When  he  was  born  he  weighed 
nine  pounds.  He  is  very  well,  and  is  in  the  garden 
all  day  long.  The  Emperor  takes  the  greatest  inter- 
est in  him.  He  carries  him  about  in  his  arms,  plays 
with  him,  and  tries  to  give  him  his  bottle,  but  he  does 
not  succeed.  You  know  from  my  uncle's  letter  how 
much  I  suffered  for  twenty-two  hours,  but  my  happi- 
ness in  being  a  mother  makes  me  forget  it.  The 
baptism  is  set  for  the  month  of  June.  I  am  sorry 
that  you  are  too  busy  to  come.  Heaven  grant  that 
you  may  come  soon !  I  was  glad  to  hear  from  Prince 
Clary  that  you  are  well.  I  hope  that  God  will  hear 
my  prayers,  and  that  dear  mamma  will  soon  be  quite 
recovered.  You  may  imagine  how  many  questions  I 
asked  about  you ;  for  talking  about  you,  about  your 
kindness,  is  my  greatest  pleasure." 

The  return  of  summer  induced  Napoleon  to  go  to 
Rambouillet  for  a  few  days  with  the  Empress,  for  the 
hunt.  In  this  residence,  which  was  simpler  and 
smaller  than  the  other  Imperial  castles,  the  Emperor 
had  a  taste  of  domestic  life.  He  reached  there 
May  13,  and  left  on  the  22d,  to  make  a  trip  through 
Normandy.  Marie  Louise  was  so  urgent  that  at  last 
he  decided  to  take  her  with  him.  The  departments 


254  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

of  Calvados  and  La  Manche  greeted  them  with  the 
utmost  enthusiasm.  The  Emperor  celebrated  his  stay 
at  Caen  by  granting  favors  and  conferring  benefits. 
Many  young  men  of  good  family  were  appointed  en- 
signs ;  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  francs  were 
distributed  in  charity.  From  Caen  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  went  to  Cherbourg  to  visit  the  works  in  the 
harbor,  which  had  just  been  dug  out  of  the  granite 
rocks  to  the  depth  of  fifty  feet. 

"  What  delight,"  General  de  Se"gur  writes  in  his 
Memoirs  concerning  this  trip,  "  What  delight,  what 
admiration  was  ours !  Great  must  have  been  Na- 
poleon's pride,  judging  from  our  own  satisfaction 
which  we  received  as  old  and  trusted  companions  of 
so  great  a  man !  .  .  .  I  saw  Cherbourg  for  the  first 
time.  This  port,  which  Louis  XVI.  had  designed 
simply  for  one  of  refuge,  had  been  transformed  by 
Napoleon  into  one  from  which  an  attack  could  be 
made.  In  those  days  of  prodigies,  however  incapable 
of  amazement  I  might  have  been,  this  roadstead,  won 
by  superhuman  exertion  from  the  ocean,  this  vast 
basin  hewn  to  a  depth  of  fifty  feet  in  the  granite, 
with  accommodations  for  fifty  men-of-war,  for  their 
building,  for  their  repair,  for  their  armament,  filled 
me  with  an  admiration  such  as  I  had  felt  at  the  first 
sight  of  the  grandeur  of  the  Alps." 

The  day  after  his  arrival  at  Cherbourg,  Napoleon 
rode  out  early,  visited  the  heights  about  the  town  and 
inspected  different  ships.  The  next  day  he  presided 
at  several  meetings  and  visited  the  works  of  the 


THE  RECOVERY.  255 


navy-yard;  then  he  went  down  to  the  bottom  of  the 
basin  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  which  was  to  contain  the 
ships-of-the-line,  and  to  be  covered  by  the  water  to  a 
depth  of  fifty-five  feet.  "During  our  stay,"  says 
M.  de  Bauseet,  "the  Emperor  wanted  to  breakfast 
on  the  dyke,  or  jetty,  which  had  been  begun  in  the 
unhappy  reign  of  the  most  virtuous  of  kings.  I  got 
there  before  Their  Majesties,  on  a  most  lovely  day, 
and  had  everything  arranged.  The  table  was  set  in 
view  of  the  sea ;  the  English  ships  were  plainly  visi- 
ble on  the  distant  horizon ;  certainly  they  were  far 
from  suspecting  Napoleon's  presence.  There  was 
still  a  strong  battery  on  the  breakwater  to  protect  the 
roadstead  and  the  harbor.  I  do  not  think  that  our 
neighbors  would  have  ventured  to  salute  us  at  closer 
quarters,  even  if  they  had  been  better  informed.  At 
a  signal  from  the  Emperor  the  squadron  lying  in  the 
roadstead,  consisting  of  three  large  ships,  under  the 
command  of  Admiral  Tronde,  put  out  under  full  sail 
and  passed  in  front  of  the  jetty  on  which  we  were. 
.  .  .  The  Admiral's  ship  came  up  as  close  as  it 
could;  the  Rear-Admiral  came  in  his  gig  to  fetch 
Their  Majesties  and  their  suite,  and  took  us  on  board, 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  crew,  who  were  all  in  full 
uniform.  While  the  Empress  and  her  ladies  were 
resting  in  the  ward-room,  Napoleon  inspected  the 
rest  of  the  ship.  Just  when  we  least  expected  it,  he 
ordered  all  the  cannon  to  be  fired  together ;  never  in 
my  life  did  I  hear  such  a  noise :  I  thought  that  the 
ship  was  blowing  up." 


256  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  were  back  at  Saint 
Cloud  June  4,  1811.  The  Empress,  then  in  the  full 
flower  of  her  beauty,  and  radiant  with  happiness, 
had  responded  to  the  profuse  manifestations  of  pub- 
lic enthusiasm  by  her  gracious  reception  of  the  au- 
thorities and  the  people  of  the  departments. 

It  would  be  hard  to  imagine  all  the  homage  paid 
at  this  time  to  the  Imperial  pair.  Dithyrambs  upon 
the  birth  of  the  King  of  Rome  were  composed  in 
every  language  of  Europe  except  the  English. 
There  was  a  real  avalanche  of  poems,  odes,  epistles ; 
in  less  than  a  week  the  Emperor  received  more  than 
two  thousand  of  these  tributes.  Probably  he  read 
very  few  of  these  extravagant  compositions,  which 
were  crammed  panegyrics  and  allegories  of  the  Greek 
mythology.  The  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand 
francs  was  divided  among  the  authors  of  these  offi- 
cial poems.  "  Of  all  these  memorials,  the  most  curi- 
ous that  flattery  ever  elevated,"  Madame  Durand 
writes,  "  is  a  collection  of  French  and  Latin  verses, 
entitled,  '  The  Marriage  and  the  Birth,'  which  was 
printed  at  the  Imperial  press,  and  appointed  by  the 
University  to  be  given  as  a  prize  to  the  pupils  of  the 
four  grammar  schools  of  PP  s,  and  of  those  in  the 
provinces,  thereby  assuring  a  ready  sale.  In  this 
heap  of  trash  figures  the  names  of  all  the  authors 
who,  when  the  giant  had  fallen,  insulted  his  remains 
and  burned  their  incense  before  the  new  deity  who 
took  his  place."  As  B Granger  said  about  those 
poets :  — 


THE   KING  OF   ROME 


THE  RECOVERY.  257 


"  They  are,  like  the  confectioners, 
Friends  of  every  baptism." 

The  Moniteur,  in  its  number  of  June  9,  1811,  the 
day  of  the  King  of  Rome's  baptism,  spoke  as  follows : 
"  The  happy  event  which,  at  the  moment  of  writing 
these  lines,  is  throughout  this  vast  Empire  the  object 
of  the  thanksgivings  which  a  great  people  can  offer 
to  Heaven ;  which  inspire  songs  of  happiness  in  our 
temples,  our  public  places,  our  peaceful  cities,  our 
fertile  fields,  and  in  the  camps  of  our  invincible  war- 
riors ;  which  fulfils  at  once  the  wishes  of  the  people 
for  the  happiness  of  their  Sovereign,  and  those  of  the 
Sovereign  for  the  firm  establishment  of  the  institu- 
tions he  has  consecrated  to  the  prosperity  of  his  peo- 
ple, ought  more  than  any  other  to  kindle  the  fervor 
of  our  poets  and  fill  them  with  a  lively  and  noble 
inspiration.  Yet  no  one  of  them  has  been  able  to 
disguise  the  difficulty  of  his  task;  all  have  recog- 
nized that  their  greatest  efforts  would  be  required, 
not  only  to  rise  to  the  height  of  a  subject  of  which 
its  greatness  is  the  first  peril,  but  even  to  attune 
their  lyre  to  the  pitch  of  the  enthusiasm  that  fires  us, 
an  enthusiasm  of  which  the  mighty  voice,  filling  all 
France  and  heard  in  the  remotest  corner  of  Europe, 
is  itself  the  grandest  hymn  of  poetry  and  the  most 
harmonious  music.  But  no  such  obstacle  has  dis- 
couraged their  muse;  admiration,  gratitude,  love, 
furnish  a  happy  inspiration,  and  our  poets  have  felt 
it ;  they  have  faithfully  transcribed  the  language  of 
the  populace  in  the  language  ascribed  to  the  gods." 


258  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

In  proof  of  this  we  quote  some  of  the  verses 
inserted  in  the  official  organ :  — 

"  Sion,  rejoice  1    The  voice  of  the  prophets 
Announces  again  the  days  of  the  Eternal  One. 
Before  a  young  child,  dear  hope  of  Israel, 
The  cedars  of  Lebanon  will  bow  their  heads. 
Of  the  oppressed  he  will  become  the  support : 
He  will  punish  crime,  and  will  brand  vice ; 
His  words  will  be  the  voice  of  justice, 
And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  will  march  before  him." 

That  is  the  Biblical  style,  which  was  used  freely  a 
few  years  later  to  celebrate  the  baptism  of  the  Duke 
of  Bordeaux.  Mythology,  too,  was  called  in :  — 

"  Do  you  see  the  leopard,  weary  of  carnage, 
Sated  with  blood,  towards  his  savage  lair 

Run  roaring  ? 

Seized  by  an  invincible,  unknown  terror, 
He  announces  his  death,  and  flees  at  the  sight    ' 

Of  a  new-born  Alcides." 

The  poet  Millevoye  exclaimed :  — 

"  With  your  head  encircled  with  laurel  and  flowers, 
Come  to  reopen  henceforth  the  progress  of  the  year, 
Month  long  since  consecrated  to  the  lover  of  Venus  I 
Triumph,  and  seize  again  thy  faded  garland, 

Which  the  friend  of  Egeria  placed 

On  the  double  brow  of  Janus." 

M.  Le  Sur  spoke  about  the  Tiber  in  these  terms:  — 

"  The  Tiber,  too  long  drowsing  on  its  urn, 
Lets  grow  in  its  bosom  the  silent  reed. 
It  awakens  at  the  resonant  noise  of  brass, 


THE  RECOVERY.  $59 


And  with  a  proud  wave  washing  its  shore, 

Of  its  old  heritage 
It  offers  the  remains  to  the  Young  Sovereign." 

A  poet  who  was  destined  to  become  famous,  and 
at  that  time  was  a  scholar  in  the  Lyce*e  Napoldon, 
Casimir  Delavigne,  tried  his  muse,  a  youthful  muse, 
according  to  the  Moniteur :  — 

"  Receive,  royal  child,  the  vows  of  the  country. 
•        May  thy  father's  laurel  shadow  thy  cradle  1 
May  glory  and  the  arts,  adorning  thy  life, 
Consecrate  forever  the  happiest  reign  ! 
Child  beloved  of  heaven,  awaited  by  the  earth, 

Promised  to  posterity, 

May  thou,  under  the  eyes  of  thy  august  father, 
Grow  to  immortality  !  " 

A  professor  famous  for  his  Latin  verses,  M.  Le- 
maire,  was  so  fired  by  his  lyrical  enthusiasm  that  he 
compared  Marie  Louise  to  another  Mary,  the  Queen 
of  Heaven.  Of  the  two  queens,  —  one,  he  said,  rules 
in  Heaven  ;  the  other  on  earth :  — 

"  Hsec  coelo  regina  micat ;  micat  altera  terris." 


XXI. 

THE  BAPTISM. 

baptism  of  the  King  of  Rome  was  celebrated 
JL  with,  great  pomp,  Sunday,  June  7,  1811,  at 
Notre  Dame.  The  festivities  began  the  evening 
before,  when,  at  seven  o'clock,  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise  and  their  son  arrived  from  Saint  Cloud  with 
a  grand  retinue.  The  courtyard  of  the  palace,  the 
garden,  and  the  terraces  were  filled  with  applauding 
spectators.  Free  performances  were  given  at  all  the 
theatres,  at  which  songs  referring  to  the  event  were 
loudly  cheered.  Paris  was  illuminated,  and  in  all 
the  public  places  food  was  given  away  to  the  popu- 
lace. Wine  flowed  in  the  fountains,  and  everywhere 
was  drunk  the  health  of  the  young  king  and  of  his 
happy  parents. 

The  baptism  took  place  at  seven  o'clock  the  next 
evening ;  at  two  in  the  afternoon  troops  of  the  line 
and  the  Imperial  Guard  formed  a  double  row  from 
the  Tuileries  to  Notre  Dame.  Many  public  build- 
ings and  private  houses  were  decorated  with  tapes- 
try, leaves,  and  designs. 

At  four  the  Senate  started  from  the  Luxembourg, 
260 


THE  BAPTISM.  261 


the  Council  of  State  from  the  Tuileries,  the  Court  of 
Appeal,  the  Court  of  Accounts,  the  Council  of  the 
University,  from  their  respective  places  of  meeting. 
From  the  H6tel  de  Ville  started  the  Prefect  of  the 
Seine,  the  Mayors  and  the  Municipal  Council  of 
Paris,  the  Mayors  and  Deputies  of  forty-nine  more 
or  less  important  cities  of  the  Empire.  It  was  said 
that  the  Mayor  of  Rome  and  the  Mayor  of  Hamburg 
happened  to  be  placed  side  by  side,  and  greeted  one 
another  with,  "  Good  day,  neighbor ! " 

Before  the  fagade  of  Notre  Dame  had  been  built  a 
large,  tent-shaped  portal,  supported  by  columns  and 
decorated  with  draperies  and  garlands.  The  interior 
of  the  Cathedral  was  brilliantly  lit,  and  adorned  with 
flags.  The  seats  in  the  choir  to  the  right  had  been 
reserved  for  foreign  princes ;  those  to  the  left,  for  the 
Diplomatic  Body ;  the  outer  edge,  for  the  wives  of 
the  ministers  of  the  high  crown  officers,  as  well  as  for 
the  households  of  the  Imperial  family ;  the  sanctuary, 
for  the  twenty  cardinals,  and  the  hundred  archbish- 
ops and  bishops ;  the  choir,  for  the  Senate,  the  Council 
of  State,  the  Mayors  and  Deputies  of  the  forty-nine 
cities ;  the  upper  part  of  the  nave,  for  the  civil  and 
military  authorities ;  the  rest  of  the  nave,  and  the 
triforiums,  for  invited  guests. 

At  five  o'clock  the  mounted  chasseurs  of  the 
Guard,  who  were  at  the  head  of  the  procession, 
began  to  move.  But  let  us  rather  yield  to  the 
Moniteur,  which  is  always  lyrical  and  enthusiastic, 
whatever  the  Prince,  imperial  or  royal,  who  is  to 


262  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

be  baptized :  "  At  half -past  five,"  says  the  official  or- 
gan, "  the  cannon,  which  had  been  firing  at  a  certain 
distance  ever  since  the  evening  before,  announced 
the  departure  of  Their  Majesties  from  the  Palace  of 
the  Tuileries,  accompanied  by  their  suite  in  the  order 
prescribed  by  the  programme.  For  the  first  time  the 
public  was  able  to  behold  the  august  infant  whose 
royal  name  was  to  be  consecrated  under  the  auspices 
of  religion.  The  effect  that  this  sight  produced  upon 
every  soul  defies  description.  '  Long  live  the  King  of 
Rome ! '  was  the  uninterrupted  acclamation  all  along 
the  route.  Their  Majesties  were  greeted  in  the  same 
way ;  their  august  names  united  in  every  mouth,  with 
accents  of  love,  respect,  and  gratitude.  They  seemed 
to  appreciate  this  double  homage,  which  was,  in  fact, 
but  one  alone,  and  they  deigned  to  express  their  feel- 
ing in  the  most  touching  way  to  the  attendant  multi- 
tude." 

As  the  legendary  grandmother  says  in  Be*ranger's 
Memories  of  the  People,  the  weather  was  perfect,  the 
Emperor  radiant :  — 

"  I,  a  poor  woman, 
Being  in  Paris  one  day, 
Saw  him  with  his  court ; 
He  was  going  to  Notre  Dame  — 
All  hearts  were  happy ; 
Every  one  admired  the  procession. 
Every  one  said :  What  fine  weather ! 
Heaven  is  always  favorable  to  him. 
His  smile  was  very  gentle ; 
God  had  made  him  father  of  a  son." 


THE  BAPTISM.  263 


And  the  little  villagers  all  sing  in  chorus :  — 

"  What  a  great  day  for  you,  grandmother  I 
What  a  great  day  for  you  I " 

At  a  little  before  seven  the  Imperial  procession 
reached  Notre  Dame.  The  sovereigns  were  met  at 
the  door  by  the  Cardinal  Grand  Almoner,  who  gave 
them  holy  water.  Then  the  procession  advanced  in 
the  following  order:  ushers,  heralds-at-arms,  the 
Chief  Herald,  the  pages,  the  aides,  the  orderly  officers 
on  duty,  the  masters  of  ceremonies,  the  prefects  of 
the  Palace  on  duty,  the  officers  of  the  King  of  Rome, 
the  Emperor's  equerries,  ordinary  and  extraordinary, 
in  attendance,  the  chamberlains,  ordinary  and  extraor- 
dinary, in  attendance,  the  equerries  of  the  day,  the 
chamberlains  of  the  day,  the  First  Equerry,  the  grand 
eagles  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  the  high  officers  of 
the  Empire,  the  ministers,  the  High  Chamberlain,  the 
First  Equerry,  and  the  Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies ; 
—  the  various  objects  to  be  used,  to  wit :  the  Prince's 
candle,  carried  by  the  Princess  of  Neufchatel;  the 
chrisom  cloth,  by  the  Princess  Aldobrandini ;  the  salt- 
cellar, by  the  Countess  of  Beauvau; — then  the  objects 
belonging  to  the  godfather  and  godmother,  to  wit: 
the  basin,  carried  by  the  Duchess  of  Alborg;  the 
ewer,  by  the  Countess  Vilain  XIV. ;  the  towel,  by  the 
Duchess  of  Dalmatia  ;  —  in  front  of  the  King  of  Rome, 
to  the  right,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wiirzburg,  repre- 
senting the  Emperor  of  Austria,  godfather;  to  the 
left,  the  mother  of  Napoleon,  godmother,  and  Queen 


264  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

Hortense,  representing  the  Queen  of  Naples,  the 
second  godmother ;  the  King  of  Rome,  carried  by  his 
governess,  in  a  coat  of  silver  tissue  embroidered  with 
ermine,  with  his  two  assistant  governesses  and  nurse 
on  each  side  (the  train  of  his  coat  was  carried  by 
Marshal,  the  Duke  of  Valmy) ;  the  Empress,  beneath  a 
canopy  upheld  by  canons,  her  First  Equerry  holding 
Her  Majesty's  train;  the  lady-in-waiting  and  tire- 
woman, the  Knight  of  Honor  and  the  First  Almoner, 
to  the  right  and  left ;  —  behind  the  canopy  Princess 
Pauline,  an  officer  of  her  household  carrying  her 
train;  the  ladies  of  the  Palace;  Cambace're's,  Duke 
of  Parma,  Archchancellor  of  the  Empire;  Marshal 
Berthier,  Prince  of  Neufch&tel  and  of  Wagram, 
Vice-Constable ;  Talleyrand,  Prince  of  Benevento, 
Vice  Grand  Elector;  Prince  Borghese,  Duke  of 
Guastalla;  Prince  Eugene,  Viceroy  of  Italy;  the 
Hereditary  Grand  Duke  of  Frankfort ;  Prince  Joseph 
Napoleon,  King  of  Spain ;  Prince  Jerome  Napoleon, 
King  of  Westphalia ;  —  the  Emperor  under  a  canopy, 
upheld  by  canons :  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  can- 
opy, his  aides ;  behind  the  canopy  the  Colonel  com- 
manding the  Guard  on  duty,  the  Grand  Marshal  of 
the  Palace,  and  the  First  Almoner ;  the  ladies-in-wait- 
ing of  the  Princesses,  the  ladies  and  officers  of  Their 
Imperial  Highnesses  on  duty. 

When  the  procession  had  taken  their  places  accord- 
ing to  their  rank,  the  Grand  Almoner  intoned  the 
Veni  Creator,  and  the  governess  having  carried  the 
child  to  the  railing  of  the  choir,  he  went  through 


THE  BAPTISM.  265 


the  preliminary  rites,  and  then  took  place  the  bap. 
tism.  As  soon  as  the  Imperial  child  had  been  bap- 
tized,  the  governess  placed  him  in  the  hands  of  the 
Empress ;  the  First  Herald-at-Arms  advanced  to  the 
middle  of  the  choir  and  called  out  three  times,  "  Long 
live  the  King  of  Rome ! "  Cheers  and  applause,  which 
till  that  moment  had  been  restrained  by  the  sanctity 
of  the  ceremony  and  the  solemnity  of  the  place,  then 
broke  forth  on  all  sides.  While  they  lasted,  Marie 
Louise  stood  with  the  child  in  her  arms ;  the  Emperor 
then  took  him  and  held  him  aloft,  that  all  might  see 
him. 

Thiers  thus  comments  in  a  page  of  real  eloquence 
on  this  imposing  spectacle  :  "  What  a  solemn  mystery 
surrounds  human  life  !  What  a  painful  surprise  it 
would  have  been,  if  beyond  this  scene  of  power  and 
greatness,  one  could  have  seen  the  ruin,  the  blood,  the 
flames  of  Moscow,  the  ice  of  the  Beresina  and  Leipsic, 
Fontainebleau,  Elba,  Saint  Helena,  and  finally  the 
death  of  this  prince  at  the  age  of  twenty,  in  exile,  with- 
out one  of  the  crowns  he  wore  that  day  upon  his 
head,  and  the  many  revolutions  once  more  to  raise  his 
family  after  overthrowing  it !  What  a  blessing  that 
the  future  is  hidden  from  man !  But  what  a  stum- 
bling-block for  his  prudence,  charged  to  conjecture 
the  morrow  and  to  guard  against  it  with  all  one's 
wisdom." 

When  the  governess  had  again  taken  the  Prince, 
she  courtesied  to  the  Emperor,  and  the  King  of  Rome, 
with  his  retinue,  left  the  church,  to  be  taken  to  the 


266  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Archbishop's,  whence  he  returned  to  the  Tuileries. 
Then  the  Grand  Almoner  intoned  the  Te  Deum, 
which  was  performed  by  the  choir,  and  followed  by 
the  Domine,fae  salvum  imperatorem.  The  Emperor 
and  the  Empress  were  conducted  with  the  same  cere- 
monies as  at  their  entrance,  to  the  church  door,  where 
they  got  into  their  carriage  amid  the  cheers  of  the 
crowd,  and  drove  to  the  entertainment  at  the  H6tel 
de  Ville. 

"  The  people  of  Paris  admitted  to  this  festivity," 
says  Thiers,  "  were  able  to  see  Napoleon  at  table,  his 
crown  on  his  head,  surrounded  by  the  kings  of  his 
family  and  a  number  of  foreign  princes,  eating  in 
public,  like  the  old  Germanic  Emperors,  the  succes- 
sors of  the  Emperors  of  the  West.  The  Parisians 
applauded  in  their  delight  at  this  brilliant  spectacle, 
imagining  that  durability  was  united  with  grandeur 
and  with  glory  !  They  did  well  to  rejoice,  for  these 
joys  were  the  last  of  the  reign.  Henceforth  our  story 
is  but  one  long  lamentation." 

Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  reached  the  H6tel  de 
Ville  at  eight  in  the  evening.  The  Prefect  of  the 
Seine,  after  welcoming  them  with  an  address,  led 
them  to  the  rooms  prepared  for  them,  and  the  Em- 
peror received  four  sets  of  presentations.  The  Grand 
Marshal  of  the  Palace  announced  that  dinner  was 
ready.  The  Imperial  banquet  was  thus  arranged :  in 
the  middle  of  the  table,  the  Emperor ;  on  his  left,  the 
Empress,  the  Queen  of  Holland,  Princess  Borghese, 
the  Grand  Duke  of  WUrzburg,  the  Grand  Duke  of 


THE  BAPTISM.  267 


Frankfort;  on  his  right,  his  mother,  the  King  of 
Spain,  the  King  of  Westphalia,  Prince  Borghese,  the 
Viceroy  of  Italy.  The  table  was  on  a  dais.  A  canopy 
overhung  the  chairs  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress. 
The  ladies  of  the  Palace  and  the  Imperial  retinue  sat 
below  the  platform,  opposite  the  table,  The  officers 
of  the  Emperor's  household  waited  on  the  table.  The 
hall  was  decorated  with  the  coats-of-arms  of  the  forty- 
nine  chosen  cities,  Paris,  Rome,  and  Amsterdam  being 
the  first ;  the  rest  were  in  alphabetical  order.  After 
the  dinner,  the  sovereigns  went  into  the  record-room, 
where  a  concert  was  given,  in  which  was  sung  a  can- 
tata, called  "  Ossian's  Song,"  with  words  by  Arnault, 
and  music  by  Mdhul.  Then,  after  talking  to  a  num- 
ber of  people  in  the  throne-room,  Napoleon  and 
Louise  went  into  the  garden  which  had  been  con- 
structed about  the  courtyard  of  the  H6tel  de  Ville, 
where  the  Tiber  was  represented  by  abundant  streams 
of  cool  water.  They  left  at  eleven,  and  thereupon 
was  opened  a  ball  which  lasted  till  daybreak.  In  the 
morning  poor  young  girls,  with  dowries  given  by  the 
city,  had  been  married  to  soldiers  in  every  arrondisse- 
ment.  The  whole  city  was  alive  with  enthusiasm. 
Food  had  been  given  away  on  the  Champs  Elyse*es, 
there  had  been  sports  in  the  square  of  Marigny,  tour- 
naments, greased  poles,  public  balls,  balloon  ascen- 
sion, fireworks,  a  general  illumination,  and  everything 
of  the  sort  for  the  amusement  of  the  populace. 

On  the  9th  of  June  there  were  grand  festivities  in 
the  large  towns  of  the  Empire,  in  honor  of  the  baptism 


268  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

of  the  King  of  Rome.  At  Antwerp  all  the  arts  and 
trades  contributed  to  making  six  chariots,  which  made 
an  imposing  procession.  The  first  represented  France 
crowned  by  Immortality;  the  second,  the  marriage 
of  the  Emperor  and  Empress ;  the  third,  the  birth  of 
the  King  of  Rome ;  the  fourth,  his  cradle ;  the  fifth, 
Religion,  Innocence,  and  Charity  praying  Heaven  for 
a  long  life  to  the  sovereigns  and  their  son ;  the  sixth, 
France  representing  the  young  Prince  as  King  to  the 
city  of  Rome.  This  procession  of  chariots  was  pre- 
ceded by  the  giant,  the  whale,  the  frigate,  the  car  of 
Neptune,  that  of  Europe,  and  other  figures  called  in 
their  language  den  grooten  hommegang. 

At  Rome,  the  city  of  the  Prince,  festivities  began 
in  the  night  of  June  8,  being  announced  by  guns  of 
the  fleet  of  Civita  Vecchia,  which  had  sailed  up  the 
Tiber,  all  beautifully  decorated.  The  Capitol,  the 
Forum,  the  Coliseum,  the  arches  of  Septimius  and 
Constantino,  the  temples  of  Concord,  of  Peace,  of 
Antoninus,  and  Fausta,  the  Column  of  Jupiter  Stator, 
were  all  brilliantly  illuminated.  In  the  morning  of 
the  9th  all  the  authorities  went  to  Saint  Peter's  to 
hear  the  Te  Deum  sung  before  an  immense  multitude. 
In  the  course  of  the  day  there  was  a  horse-race,  and 
in  the  evening  the  dome  of  Saint  Peter's  and  the 
Colonnade  were  illuminated,  and  there  were  fireworks 
at  the  Castle  of  Saint  Angelo.  The  Rome  of  the 
Caesars  and  the  Popes,  the  Eternal  City,  celebrated 
the  baptismal  day  of  its  young  King  with  great 
splendor, 


XXII. 

SAINT  CLOUD  AND  TRIANON. 

THE  Emperor  had  determined  that  there  could 
not  be  too  much  rejoicing  at  his  son's  baptism ; 
consequently  he  gave  an  entertainment  himself, 
June  23, 1811,  in  the  palace  and  park  of  Saint  Cloud. 
The  palace,  with  its  magnificent  halls,  its  drawing- 
rooms  of  Mars,  Venus,  Truth,  Mercury,  and  Aurora, 
its  Gallery  of  Apollo,  and  Room  of  Diana,  adorned 
with  Mignard's  frescoes ;  the  park,  with  its  fine  trees, 
its  wonderful  stretches,  its  greensward,  and  abundant 
flowers ;  the  two  grand  views  from  the  upper  windows, 
one  towards  Paris,  the  other  towards  the  garden ;  the 
waterfalls,  set  in  a  tasteful  frame,  and  rushing  down 
step  by  step,  breaking  into  a  white  foam,  sparkling  in 
the  sunlight  or  with  the  reflection  of  a  thousand 
torches,  formed  a  marvellous  setting  for  a  festival 
both  by  night  and  by  day.  More  than  three  hundred 
thousand  persons  went  to  Saint  Cloud;  they  began 
to  arrive  in  the  morning,  and  filled  every  avenue, 
covered  every  bit  of  rising  ground.  Food  was  publicly 
distributed;  the  fountains  ran  wine.  Games  and 
sports  of  all  kinds  were  played,  and  the  Imperial 

269 


270  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Guard  gave  an  open-air  banquet  to  the  garrison  of 
Paris. 

At  six  in  the  evening  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise 
drove  in  an  open  barouche  through  the  park,  without 
guard  or  escort,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  applaud- 
ing multitude.  The  orange  house,  which  had  been 
stripped  of  its  contents  for  the  decoration  of  the  front 
of  the  palace,  was  adorned  with  stuffs  of  fine  colors. 
Temples  and  kiosks  had  been  set  up  in  the  shrubbery. 
At  nightfall  six  illuminated  launches,  manned  by 
sailors  of  the  Imperial  Guard,  performed  various 
evolutions  and  discharged  fireworks,  which  made  a 
brilliant  show  upon  the  river.  Meanwhile  the  illu- 
minations began  throughout  the  park,  along  the 
terraces,  and  the  amphitheatre,  and  in  the  palace.  It 
was  a  most  fairy-like  sight;  the  large  cascade  with 
its  half-lying  statues  of  the  Seine  and  the  Loire ;  the 
lower  cascade  beneath;  the  fountain  rising  twenty- 
seven  metres;  the  large  square  basin  with  the  ten 
little  shell-shaped  basins  and  the  nine  fountains 
spurting  from  gilded  masques;  the  green  lawns,  the 
flower-beds,  the  shrubbery,  —  all  lit  up  by  the  blazing 
fireworks.  At  nine  o'clock  Madame  Blanchard  went 
up  in  a  balloon,  discharging  fireworks  from  the  car, 
which  formed  a  starlike  crown  set  at  a  great  height; 
she  seemed  like  a  magician  in  a  fiery  chariot.  Fire- 
works were  then  set  off  by  the  artillery  of  the  Impe- 
rial Guard  from  the  middle  of  the  Plain  of  Boulogne ; 
they  were  visible  from  Paris  as  from  Saint  Cloud, 
and  from  all  the  hills  bordering  the  Seine  from 


SAINT  CLOUD  AND  TRIANON.  271 

Calvaire  to  Meudon.  Next  to  the  row  of  columns 
opened  the  illuminated  garden,  with  waterfalls,  trees, 
and  porticoes,  forming  a  most  brilliant  spectacle. 
The  Emperor  and  Empress  walked  through  the  park, 
and  Marie  Louise  was  continually  reminded  of  her 
beloved  Austria,  of  Schoenbrunn,  of  the  Burg,  of 
Laxenburg,  by  the  wonderful  panorama.  There 
were  many  bands  stationed  among  the  trees,  playing 
waltzes,  and  dancers  from  the  opera,  dressed  as  Ger- 
man shepherds  and  shepherdesses,  were  dancing.  An 
interlude,  "The  Village  Festival,"  words  by  Etienne, 
set  to  music  by  Nicolo,  was  given  in  the  open  air, 
on  the  grass.  When  the  Empress  came  to  a  column 
supporting  a  basket  of  flowers,  a  dove  alit  at  her  feet 
and  offered  her  an  ingenious  motto. 

The  weather  had  been  tolerably  pleasant  all  day ; 
but  it  became  stormy  in  the  evening ;  the  air  grew 
heavy :  there  could  be  seen  neither  moon  nor  stars. 
There  had  just  been  illuminated,  opposite  the  grand 
cascade,  a  model  of  the  palace  intended  for  the  King 
of  Rome,  —  this  palace  the  Emperor  meant  to  build 
on  the  high  ground  of  Chaillot,  with  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne  for  its  park,  —  when  suddenly  the  storm 
that  had  been  slowly  gathering  burst  upon  the  heads 
of  the  vast  crowd  in  the  park.  There  were  there 
deputations  from  all  the  large  towns  of  the  vast 
empire  which  reached  from  Cuxhaven  to  Rome  ;  the 
men  in  costly  velvet  coats,  the  women  in  dresses  of 
embroidered  silk.  The  Emperor  at  the  moment  hap- 
pened to  be  talking  in  the  doorway  between  the 


272  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

drawing-room  and  the  garden;  near  him  was  the 
Mayor  of  Lyons,  to  whom  he  said,  "  I  am  going 
to  benefit  your  manufactures."  Then  he  remained 
standing  in  the  doorway.  The  courtiers  received  the 
shower  with  bare  heads  and  smiling  faces.  Possibly 
some  might  have  said  that  the  rain  of  Saint  Cloud, 
like  the  rain  of  Marly,  did  not  wet. 

Of  course  no  one  had  an  umbrella.  Prince  Aldo- 
brandini,  the  Empress's  First  Equerry,  managed  to 
procure  one,  which  he  held  over  her.  Count  Re"- 
niusat  found  another,  and  for  an  hour  he  was  coming 
and  going,  between  the  park  and  the  palace,  to  bring 
as  many  ladies  as  possible  under  shelter.  The  enter- 
tainment could  not  go  on ;  every  one  was  wet  through. 
The  musicians  could  not  play  on  their  dripping  in- 
struments. The  Emperor  and  the  Empress  withdrew 
at  eleven,  and  both  the  court  and  the  people  had 
gloomy  memories  of  this  festivity  which  began  so  well 
and  ended  so  badly.  Superstitious  and  ill-disposed 
persons  fancied  that  they  saw  an  evil  omen  in  this ; 
they  recalled  the  disastrous  ball  at  the  Austrian  Em- 
bassy, and  said  that  the  storm  broke  just  at  the  very 
moment  when  the  palace  of  the  King  of  Rome  was 
illuminated.  But  what  difference  could  a  simple 
shower  make  to  a  people  accustomed  to  streams  of 
blood  ? 

August  15, 1811,  there  was  a  brilliant  celebration 
at  Saint  Cloud  and  Paris,  as  well  as  throughout  the 
Empire,  of  the  festival  of  the  great  and  the  small 
Napoleon.  August  25  was  the  birthday  of  the  Em- 


SAINT  CLOUD  AND  TRIANON.  273 

press  Marie  Louise,  and  this  was  celebrated  at  the 
two  Trianons,  which  were  full  of  memories  of  Louis 
XIV.  and  of  Marie  Antoinette.  The  Grand  Trianon, 
graceful  and  majestic,  though  but  a  single  story 
high,  and  the  Little  Trianon,  charming,  though  but 
a  simple  small  square,  of  no  regal  aspect,  were  en- 
chanted palaces  on  Marie  Louise's  birthday.  The 
two  buildings,  the  belvedere,  the  little  lakes,  the 
island  and  Temple  of  Love,  the  village,  the  octagonal 
pavilion,  the  theatre,  were  all  aglow.  It  seemed  as 
if  Marie  Antoinette  were  alive  again,  and  to  the  Em- 
press Delille's  lines  could  have  applied  as  well  as  to 
the  Queen :  — 

"  Like  its  august  and  youthful  deity, 
Trianon  combines  grace  with  majesty : 
For  her  it  adorns  itself,  is  by  her  adorned." 

It  was  only  twenty-two  years  since  Marie  An- 
toinette had  been  there,  and  many  of  the  lords  and 
ladies  who  adorned  Napoleon's  court  as  they  had 
adorned  that  of  Louis  XVI.  could  not  see  without 
emotion  this  fairy-like  recall  of  the  brilliant  days  of 
the  old  regime.  The  French  nobility  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  many  reflections  on  revisiting  the 
Little  Trianon  which  aroused  many  memories.  It 
was  less  than  eighteen  years  since  there  had  perished 
on  the  scaffold  the  charming  sovereign  who  had 
been  the  idol,  the  goddess,  of  this  little  temple ;  and 
now  new  festivities  were  beginning;  another  Aus- 
trian archduchess  occupied  the  place  of  the  mar- 


274  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

tyred  Queen.  There  was  the  Swiss  village,  of  which 
Louis  XVI.  had  been  the  miller,  the  Count  of  Pro- 
vence the  schoolmaster,  the  Count  of  Artois  the  game- 
keeper, the  village  with  its  merry  mill,  the  dairy 
where  the  cream  filled  porphyry  vessels  on  marble 
tables,  the  laundry  where  the  clothes  were  beaten 
with  ebony  sticks,  the  granary  to  which  led  mahog- 
any ladders,  the  sheep-house  where  the  sheep  were 
shorn  with  golden  shears.  They  saw  once  more  the 
grass  sprinkled  with  flowers,  the  clear  water,  the 
-  trees  of  all  colors  from  dark  green  to  cherry-red; 
larches  and  pink  acacias,  cedars  of  Lebanon,  sophoras 
from  China,  poplars  from  Athens,  and  they  said  that 
Time,  which  shatters  a  sceptre,  respects  a  shrub. 
Everything  else  had  changed;  the  garden  was  still 
the  same. 

All  day  long  the  gloomy  solitude  of  Versailles  had 
been  crowded  anew  as  if  by  magic.  .  A  countless 
multitude  thronged  its  long,  wide  avenues,  which  had 
been  almost  deserted  since  October,  1789.  The  fes- 
tivities of  the  former  monarchy  appeared  to  have 
begun  again.  At  three  in  the  afternoon  a  rather 
heavy  shower  had  fallen,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  day 
and  evening  would  end  gloomily;  but  on  the  con- 
trary, the  rain  was  but  brief  and  only  freshened  the 
air,  and  made  the  festival  pleasanter.  The  setting 
sun  lit  up  the  great  king's  town,  and  at  night  many- 
colored  lamps  decorated  the  Grand  Trianon.  Six 
hundred  women  in  rich  dresses,  and  ablaze  with 
jewelry,  gathered  in  the  gallery  of  that  palace.  The 


SAINT  CLOUD  AND  T&IANON.  275 

Empress  spoke  to  many  of  them,  and  it  was  noticed 
how  well  she  had  become  acquainted  with  French 
society,  although  she  had  been  in  the  country  but 
fifteen  months ;  and  with  what  kindness  and  dignity 
she  addressed  them. 

Then  they  went  to  the  theatre  of  the  Little  Tri- 
anon, a  perfect  jewel,  a  gem,  with  its  two  Ionic  col- 
umns, its  pediment  in  which  Love  is  holding  a  lyre 
and  a  laurel  wreath ;  and  its  ceiling  representing 
Olympus,  the  work  of  Lagrene'e ;  and  its  curtain,  on 
which  are  two  nymphs  supporting  Marie  Antoinette's 
coat-of-arms.  It  was  there  that,  August  19, 1785,  the 
Queen  played  Rosina,  in  "The  Barber  of  Seville," 
and  that  the  Count  of  Artois  uttered  those  ominous 
words  as  Figaro,  "  I  try  to  laugh  at  everything,  lest 
I  should  have  to  weep  at  everything."  Before  Napo- 
leon and  Marie  Louise  there  was  given  a  piece  com- 
posed for  the  occasion  by  Alissan  de  Chazet :  it  was 
called  "  The  Gardener  of  Schoenbrunn."  After  it  was 
a  pretty  ballet  given  by  the  dancers  of  the  Opera. 

When  this  was  over,  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
walked  through  the  gardens  of  the  Little  Trianon, 
which  were  illuminated.  Napoleon,  with  his  hat  in 
his  hand,  gave  his  arm  to  Marie  Louise.  They  vis- 
ited the  island  and  the  marble  Temple  of  Love,  in 
which  is  Bouchardon's  statue  of  Love  carving  his 
bow  into  the  club  of  Hercules.  There  was  soft  music 
from  concealed  performers,  which  seemed  to  rise 
from  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  on  which  floated  illu- 
minated boats  full  of  children  disguised  as  cupids. 


276  THE  EMPRESS  MAEtE  LOUISE. 

Then  they  walked  further  in  the  garden,  and 
watched  a  tableau  vivant,  representing  Flemish  peas- 
ants. This  was  succeeded  by  groups  representing  the 
people  of  the  different  provinces  of  the  Empire  in 
their  national  dress,  from  the  Tiber  to  the  North  Sea. 
The  celebration  ended  with  a  supper  in  the  gallery 
of  the  Grand  Trianon.  All  those  who  had  known 
the  place  in  the  old  regime  agreed  that  the  festival 
was  a  perfect  success;  and  Marie  Louise,  who  was 
becoming  more  and  more  at  home  in  France,  was  sure 
that  her  birthday  had  never  been  celebrated  with 
anything  like  such  magnificence. 


XXIII. 

THE  TRIP  TO  HOLLAND. 

A  SHORT  time  after  Wagram  Napoleon  had 
been  heard,  in  a  levee  at  which  his  generals 
were  present,  to  lament  the  bloody  campaigns  in 
which  he  always  lost  some  of  his  early  companions. 
"  I  have  been  a  soldier  long  enough,"  he  went  on ; 
"  it's  time  for  me  to  be  a  king."  During  1811  he 
seemed  faithful  to  this  new  programme.  The  soldier 
had  become  a  monarch,  and  the  hero  of  so  many  battles 
seemed  to  be  desirous  of  the  glories  of  peace.  He  de- 
termined to  make  a  trip  in  Belgium  and  Holland  and 
along  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  where  he  should  see 
for  himself  what  the  happiness  of  the  people  required. 
The  Empress  made  the  journey  with  him,  but  Na- 
poleon started  from  Compiegne  without  her,  Septem- 
ber 19 ;  she  was  to  join  him  on  the  30th  at  Antwerp. 
At  this  time  she  was  so  attached  to  him  that  she 
could  not  endure  a  separation  of  only  a  few  days, 
and  she  wrote  to  her  father :  "  My  husband  has  left 
to-night  to  go  to  the  island  of  Walcheren,  which 
has  the  worst  climate  in  the  world,  so  that  I  could 
not  go  with  him,  for  which  I  am  extremely  sorry." 

277 


278  THE  EMPEESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

While  the  Emperor  was  visiting  Boulogne,  Ostend, 
and  Flushing,  the  Queen  made  her  way,  with  a 
magnificent  court,  to  Belgium.  She  left  Compi&gne, 
September  22,  and  took  up  her  residence  at  the 
castle  at  Laeken,  near  Brussels.  She  often  visited 
the  Belgian  capital,  which  then  was  only  the  chief 
town  of  a  French  department,  —  the  department  of 
the  Dyle.  Napoleon  made  a  great  point  of  her  ap- 
pearing in  all  splendor  in  the  provinces  which  had 
previously  been  governed  by  the  house  of  Austria. 
She  went  to  the  theatre,  where  she  was  warmly 
greeted,  and  purchased  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
francs'  worth  of  lace  to  revive  the  manufactures  of 
the  city.  September  30  she  joined  her  husband  at 
Antwerp.  The  Moniteur  thus  spoke  of  the  way  the 
Emperor  had  transformed  this  city :  "  Antwerp  may 
be  considered  as  a  fortress  of  the  rank  of  Metz  and 
Strasbourg.  The  work  which  has  been  done  there 
is  enormous.  On  the  left  bank  of  the  Scheldt,  where 
two  years  ago  there  was  only  a  redoubt,  there  has 
risen  a  city  twelve  thousand  feet  long,  with  eight 
bastions.  .  .  .  The  view  from  the  dockyard  is  un- 
paralleled; twenty-one  men-of-war,  eight  of  them 
three-deckers,  are  building.  The  arsenal  is  fully 
provided  with  provisions  of  all  sorts  brought  down 
the  Rhine  and  the  Meuse. 

"  Seven  years  ago,"  continues  the  Moniteur,  "  there 
was  not  a  single  quay  in  Antwerp,  and  the  houses 
came  down  to  the  river's  edge.  To-day,  in  the  place 
of  these  houses,  are  superb  quays,  of  service  to  the 


THE  TRIP   TO  HOLLAND.  279 

commerce  and  to  the  defence  of  the  place.  Six 
years  ago  there  was  no  basin,  but  only  a  few  canals 
where  boats  drawing  ten  or  twelve  feet  could  scarcely 
enter.  To-day  there  is  a  basin  twenty-six  feet  deep 
at  the  bank,  able  to  hold  ships-of-the-line,  with  a 
lock  for  the  admission  of  ships  carrying  a  hundred 
and  twenty  guns." 

The  formal  entrance  into  Amsterdam  took  place 
October  9,  1811.  The  former  capital  of  Holland 
was  merely  the  chief  town  of  a  French  department, 
—  the  department  of  the  Zuyder  Zee.  The  Dutch 
were  suffering  a  good  deal  from  the  Embargo,  and 
sorely  missed  King  Louis  Bonaparte,  who  had  in  vain 
tried  to  alleviate  their  sufferings.  When  they  came 
under  the  dominion  of  the  Emperor,  he  had  appointed 
Lebrun,  Duke  of  Piacenza,  their  governor  general. 
Of  him,  Count  Beugnot  says  in  his  Memoirs,  "  He 
was  doubtless  a  superior  man,  but  he  found  it  easier 
to  translate  Homer  and  Tasso,  and  to  treat  with 
wonderful  ease  the  most  difficult  questions  of  politi- 
cal economy,  than  to  console  a  Dutchman  for  the 
loss  of  ten  florins." 

The  discontent  of  the  Dutch  only  strengthened 
Napoleon's  desire  to  please  and  win  them.  "It 
seemed  at  that  time,"  M.  Beugnot  goes  on,  "  as  if 
Heaven  had  given  him  every  means  of  securing 
happiness.  A  son  had  just  been  born  to  him,  whose 
future  the  poets  were  justified  in  foretelling  in  their 
own  way.  The  child  who  inspired  the  Mantuan 
poet  with  the  idyl,  or  rather  with  the  magnificent 


280  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

prophecy,  Sicelides  Musce,  etc.,  was  but  an  humble 
creature  by  the  side  of  this  infant,  who  to  the  most 
impressive  pride  of  race  added  enormous,  newly  ac- 
quired glory,  such  as  the  world  had  never  seen." 
The  happy  Emperor  fancied  that  by  showing  himself 
with  the  mother  of  the  King  of  Rome  to  the  Dutch 
and  Germans,  he  should  silence  their  complaints, 
wipe  out  their  memories  of  national  independence, 
and  arouse  an  enthusiasm  that  would  make  them  for- 
get their  sufferings  and  losses.  Their  welcome  was 
of  a  sort  to  confirm  him  in  this  belief.  The  peace- 
ful populace  of  Amsterdam  forgot  their  usual  phlegm, 
and  cheered  the  mighty  monarch  and  his  young  wife. 
The  Empress  entered  the  city  in  a  gilded  carriage 
with  glass  sides,  and  she  was  met  by  a  guard  of 
honor  composed  of  young  men  belonging  to  the  first 
families  of  Holland.  The  Emperor  followed  on 
horseback,  surrounded  by  a  brilliant  staff.  Their 
stay  at  Amsterdam  was  marked  by  extraordinary 
pomp ;  the  company  of  the  Theatre  Frangais  was 
brought  thither  from  Paris,  and  Talma  appeared  as 
Bayard  and  as  Orosmane.  The  court  made  a  stay  of 
a  fortnight,  the  Emperor  making  short  excursions  to 
Helder,  one  of  his  creations,  to  Texel,  and  to  the 
dykes  of  Medemblik,  which  protect  the  country 
against  the  Zuyder  Zee. 

General  de  Segur,  who  went  on  the  journey,  thus 
describes  it :  "  It  might  naturally  be  supposed,  that 
in  going  through  Holland,  after  the  last  two  at- 
tempted assassinations,  Napoleon  would  have  taken 


THE  TRIP  TO  HOLLAND.  281 

precautions  against  such  frequent  attacks ;  but,  far 
from  it,  he  was  full  of  confidence,  and  went  about 
alone  among  these  worst  victims  of  the  continental 
system,  mingling  every  day  with  the  dense  crowd 
that  gathered  about  him.  His  sole  thought  was  to 
study  their  needs,  their  manners,  and  habits,  anxious 
to  see  for  himself  and  trusting  thoroughly  in  them. 
These  northern  people  hide  warm  hearts  beneath  a 
cold  exterior ;  they  are  impressed  by  greatness,  and 
give  it  their  confidence.  Their  feelings  are  slow,  but 
for  that  reason  surer  when  once  aroused.  The  Em- 
peror's enormous  fame  had  preceded  him;  and  the 
appearance  among  them  of  this  genius,  all  fire  and 
flame,  who  had  come,  as  he  said,  to  adopt  them, 
warmed  their  phlegmatic  nature.  They  were  at 
once  filled  with  admiration ;  his  presence,  his  trust  in 
them,  his  consoling  and  encouraging  words,  the  good 
works  at  once  begun  by  his  active  and  able  adminis- 
tration, filled  them  with  enthusiasm." 

During  the  three  days  of  the  Emperor's  absence 
Marie  Louise  visited  the  neighborhood  of  Amsterdam. 
She  went  to  the  village  of  Broek,  which  lies  a  league 
from  the  port,  on  the  shores  of  a  little  basin  sur- 
rounded with  flowers  and  grass,  and  is  in  communi- 
cation with  the  Zuyder  Zee  by  means  of  a  small 
canal.  This  village  is  famous  as  a  perfect  model  of 
the  attractive  luxury  and  the  over-zealous  neatness 
of  the  Dutch.  It  is  of  a  circular  shape.  The  houses, 
of  wood  and  one  story  high,  are  built  around  and 
upon  a  lake,  and  are  decorated  outside  with  frescoes. 


282  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Through  the  window-glass,  which  is  remarkably  clear, 
it  is  easy  to  see  the  curtains  of  Chinese  figured  silk  or 
of  Indian  stuff.  Within  the  houses  are  large  Gothic 
sideboards,  full  of  costly  Japanese  porcelain.  There 
are  no  signs  of  use  or  of  wear  upon  the  furniture ;  every 
house  looks  as  if  it  were  the  house  of  the  Sleeping 
Beauty.  There  are  no  barns,  or  stables,  or  granaries, 
or  kitchens.  Everything  connected  with  animals  is 
banished  from  this  fairy-like  enclosure.  Posts  at  the 
ends  of  every  street  bar  the  way  against  carriages. 
The  pavement  is  in  mosaic,  and  is  covered  with  a  fine 
sand,  on  which  are  designs  of  flowers.  The  inhabi- 
tants carry  their  sense  of  neatness  so  far  that  they 
compel  every  visitor  to  take  off  his  shoes  and  put  on 
slippers  on  entering  a  house.  One  day,  when  the 
Emperor  Joseph  II.  happened  to  appear  in  a  pair  of 
boots  before  one  of  these  curious  houses,  he  was  told 
that  he  would  have  to  take  them  off  before  he  could 
go  in.  "  I  am  the  Emperor,"  he  said.  "  Well,  if  you 
were  the  burgomaster  of  Amsterdam,  you  couldn't 
come  in  with  boots  on,"  was  the  reply.  Another  time 
Hortense,  then  Queen  of  Holland,  was  not  allowed  to 
enter  one  of  the  houses,  and  King  Louis  approved, 
because  the  Queen  had  not  sent  word  that  she  was 
coming. 

When  Marie  Louise  visited  this  famous  village,  the 
burgomaster,  in  view  of  the  importance  of  the  occa- 
sion, consented  to  break  the  rigid  rules  and  to  permit 
the  Imperial  carriage  to  drive  over  the  mosaic  pave- 
ment to  his  house,  where  he  presented  his  respects  to 


THE  TRIP  TO  HOLLAND.  283 

the  Empress.  At  this  house,  as  in  every  one  in  the 
village,  there  are  two  doors,  —  one  for  daily  use,  the 
other  opened  only  for  baptisms,  marriages,  and  funer- 
als. This  door,  which  is  called  the  fatal  door,  opens 
into  a  room  which  is  always  kept  shut  except  on 
these  three  occasions.  "  The  Empress,"  says  M.  de 
Bausset,  "asked  to  have  the  fatal  door  opened.  We 
crossed  the  threshold  with  gratified  vanity,  in  the 
presence  of  many  inhabitants,  who  feared  to  follow 
us,  but  who  were  almost  tempted  to  admire  the  ease 
and  courage  with  which  we  went  in  and  out.  After 
visiting,  admiring,  and  praising  everything,  we  left 
these  worthy  people  delighted  with  the  touching 
graces  and  amiable  kindness  of  their  young  sover- 
eign." 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  visited  Saardam,  where 
Peter  the  Great  spent  ten  months  as  a  workman,  to 
study  shipbuilding.  Napoleon  fell  into  meditation 
before  the  hut  of  the  famous  Czar,  as  he  had  done 
before  the  tomb  of  Frederick  the  Great.  "  That  is 
the  noblest  monument  in  Holland ! "  he  said ;  and  in 
memory  of  Peter  the  Great  he  ordered  Saardam  to  be 
made  a  city. 

Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  also  spent  a  few  hours 
at  Harlem,  a  half-Gothic,  half-Japanese  town,  cele- 
brated by  the  passion  of  its  inhabitants  for  flowers, 
especially  for  tulips.  October  26,  they  arrived  at 
Rotterdam,  at  Loo  on  the  27th,  and  spent  the  night 
of  the  28th  at  The  Hague,  whence  they  went  to  visit 
the  banks  of  the  Rhine.  The  Emperor  carried  away 


284  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

with  him  a  most  favorable  impression  of  the  Dutch, 
whose  seriousness,  morality,  love  of  order,  and  indus- 
try had  continually  struck  him,  so  that  he  shared  his 
brother  Louis's  partiality  for  a  nation  as  interesting 
in  the  present  as  in  the  past. 

November  2,  Napoleon  and  his  wife  reached  Diis- 
seldorf.  This  pretty  town,  which  is  picturesquely 
placed  at  the  junction  of  the  Diissel  with  the  Rhine, 
was  at  that  time  the  capital  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of 
Berg,  and  had  been  under  the  rule  of  Murat  before 
he  was  appointed  King  of  Naples ;  on  this  visit  the 
Emperor  assigned  it  to  the  oldest  son  of  Louis  Bona- 
parte. Count  Beugnot  was  then  ruling  the  princi- 
pality, which  contained  less  than  a  million  inhabitants. 
He  it  was  who  said  in  his  curious  and  witty  Memoirs : 
"How  easy  it  would  have  been  to  secure  the  alle- 
giance of  the  Germans,  who  are  unable  to  withstand 
the  attraction  of  military  glory,  for  whom  an  oath  of 
allegiance  is  a  mere  nothing,  and  who  felt  for  France 
an  affection  which  we  cruelly  drove  out  of  them !  .  .  . 
Germany,  which  always  admires  the  marvellous,  long 
preserved  its  admiration  for  the  Emperor.  At  that 
time  this  was  so  general,  that  a  breath  would  have 
blown  over  the  Prussian  monarchy,  which  neither 
the  armies  nor  the  memories  of  the  great  Frederick, 
together  with  the  invincible  legion  of  the  successor  of 
Peter  the  Great,  could  defend." 

At  Diisseldorf,  Napoleon,  in  accordance  with  his 
usual  custom,  received  all  the  authorities,  civil  and  mil- 
itary, as  well  as  representatives  of  all  sects.  Among 


THE  TRIP   TO  HOLLAND.  285 

these  last  was  an  old  white-bearded  rabbi  a  hundred 
years  old,  who  was  so  anxious  to  see  the  Emperor 
that  he  had  himself  carried  to  the  reception.  He 
entered,  supported  on  one  side  by  the  parish  priest, 
on  the  other,  by  the  Protestant  clergyman.  This 
union  of  the  three  creeds  in  homage  to  their  sover- 
eign did  not  displease  the  Emperor,  strange  as  it  was. 
Count  Beugnot's  Memoirs  must  be  consulted  for  a 
full  account  of  the  activity,  the  interest  in  details,  the 
minuteness  of  the  administrative  investigations  which, 
at  Diisseldorf  as  everywhere  else,  characterized  Napo- 
leon in  these  laborious  journeys,  on  which,  under  pre- 
text of  seeking  distraction,  he  kept  himself  in  almost 
as  active  movement  as  if  he  were  at  war.  The  Count 
who  once  played  whist  at  Diisseldorf  with  Marie 
Louise  for  his  partner,  against  the  Duchess  of  Monte- 
bello  and  the  Prince  of  Neufch&tel,  says  in  speaking  of 
the  occasion :  "  As  often  happens,  the  game  was  care- 
lessly played ;  all  watched  the  cards  only  with  their 
eyes,  and  gave  their  attention  to  what  was  going 
forward  about  the  table,  to  which  the  Emperor  came 
every  few  minutes  to  say  a  few  pleasant  words  to  the 
Empress  or  to  joke  with  the  Prince  of  Neufchatel  and 
me.  I  was  too  busy,  both  during  the  dinner  and 
while  we  were  playing,  to  make  any  study  of  the 
Empress's  tastes  or  to  form  from  them  a  judgment 
about  her  character.  The  journey  had  been  long; 
she  seemed  tired  and  out  of  sorts.  She  answered  the 
Emperor  only  in  monosyllables,  and  the  other  by  a 
somewhat  monotonous  nod  of  the  head.  I  may  be 


286  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

mistaken,  but  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  Her  Maj- 
esty is  not  free  from  the  awe  which  her  august  hus- 
band inspires  in  all  who  approach  him." 

After  resting  for  two  days  at  Diisseldorf,  Napoleon 
and  Marie  Louise  went  on  to  Cologne,  when  they 
visited  the  Chapel  of  the  Eleven  Thousand  Virgins, 
and  a  grand  Te  Deum  was  sung  in  the  famous  Cathe- 
dral. They  returned  by  LiSge,  Givet,  Me*zieres,  and 
Compiegne,  reaching  Saint  Cloud  after  an  absence  of 
nearly  three  months,  —  the  longest  visit  that  the  Em- 
peror had  made  in  the  provinces  of  either  the  old  or 
the  new  France.  Everywhere  he  had  met  with  the 
expression  of  two  distinct  but  somewhat  different 
sentiments :  for  the  Empress,  an  affectionate  respect ; 
for  himself,  the  sort  of  violent  sensation  that  a  man 
who  is  a  living  wonder  always  produces. 


xxrv. 

NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  HIS  POWER. 

AT  the  beginning  of  1812  Napoleon  had  reached 
the  height  of  his  power.  Before  we  watch 
his  decline,  it  may  be  well  to  consider  him  at  the 
summit  of  his  fortune,  in  the  fulness  of  his  force, 
might,  and  glory.  In  his  career  there  were  two  dis- 
tinctly marked  periods, — the  democratic  and  the  aris- 
tocratic. In  the  early  days  of  the  Empire  the  first 
one  had  not  yet  come  to  an  end.  The  coins  of  that 
time  still  bore  the  stamp,  "  French  Republic.  Napo- 
leon Emperor."  He  himself  resembled  Caesar  rather 
than  Charlemagne :  he  granted  no  hereditary  titles, 
and  associated  with  but  few  of  the  e'migre's  ;  he  was 
still,  in  many  ways,  a  man  of  the  Revolution.  In 
1812,  on  the  other  hand,  he  had  given  his  authority 
a  sort  of  feudal  character,  and  revived  many  points 
of  resemblance  with  the  Carlovingian  epoch.  Charle- 
magne had  become  his  model,  his  ideal.  The  saviour 
of  the  Convention,  the  friend  of  the  young  Robes- 
pierre, was  busily  introducing  much  of  the  impe- 
rial and  military  splendor  of  the  Middle  Ages.  The 
continental  sovereigns  treated  him  with  so  much 

287 


288  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

consideration  that  he  regarded  himself  as  their  supe- 
rior rather  than  as  an  equal.  He  called  them  his 
brothers;  but  he  thought  that  he  was  more  than  a 
brother — something  like  the  head  of  a  family  of 
kings.  The  Kings  of  Bavaria,  of  Wiirtemberg,  of 
Saxony,  of  Spain,  of  Naples,  of  Westphalia,  who  all 
owed  their  crowns  to  him,  were  indeed  his  subordi- 
nates. As  the  Princes  of  the  Confederation  of  the 
Rhine,  the  vassals  of  their  protector,  they  despatched 
their  contingents  to  him  with  as  much  zeal  and 
punctuality  as  if  they  had  been  plain  prefects  of  the 
Empire. 

The  e'migre's  crowded  the  drawing-rooms  of  the 
Tuileries.  One  might  have  thought  one's  self  at 
Coblenz.  Those  men  who  belonged  to  the  old  re*- 
gime  were  especially  appreciated.  The  one  of  his 
aides-de-camp  who  most  pleased  the  Emperor  was 
perhaps  the  Count  of  Narbonne,  knight  of  honor  of 
one  of  the  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  Minister  of  War 
under  Louis  XVI.  The  most  rigid,  the  most  precise 
etiquette  prevailed  in  the  Imperial  residences.  The 
high  dignitaries  and  marshals  concealed  their  plebeian 
names  under  pompous  titles  of  princes  and  dukes. 
Madame  de  Mailly,  the  widow  of  a  marshal  of  the 
royal  period,  had  been  admitted  to  the  rank  and 
privileges  of  the  wives  of  the  grand  officers  of  the 
crown,  and  had  figured  as  a  marshal's  widow,  at  the 
reception  of  January  1,  1811.  The  court  of  Ver- 
sailles appeared  to  have  revived. 

Napoleon  preferred  to  derive  his  power  from  divine 


NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.     289 

right  than  from  the  will  of  the  nation.  "He  was 
much  struck,"  Metternich  says  in  his  Memoirs,  "  by 
the  idea  of  ascribing  the  origin  of  supreme  power  to 
divine  choice.  One  day  at  Compie'gne,  soon  after  his 
marriage,  he  said  to  me,  '  I  notice  that  when  the  Em- 
press writes  to  her  father,  she  addresses  him  as  His 
Holy  Imperial  Highness.  Is  that  your  usual  way  ?  ' 
I  told  him  he  was  so  addressed  from  the  tradition 
of  the  old  Germanic  Empire,  and  because  he  also 
wore  the  apostolic  crown  of  Hungary.  Napoleon 
then  said  with  some  solemnity,  '  It  is  a  noble  and  ex- 
cellent custom.  Power  derives  from  God,  and  that 
is  the  only  way  it  can  be  secure  from  human  assault. 
Some  time  or  other  I  shall  adopt  the  same  title.' " 

At  about  the  same  time,  in  conversation  with  M. 
Mol6  about  the  houses  building  in  Paris,  on  being 
asked  when  he  intended  to  give  his  attention  to  the 
Church  of  the  Madeleine,  the  Emperor  said,  "  Well, 
what  is  expected  of  me?"  M.  Mol6  told  him  that  he 
had  heard  that  it  was  intended  for  a  Temple  of  Glory. 
"That's  what  people  think,  I  know,"  said  Napoleon; 
"but  I  mean  it  for  a  memorial  in  expiation  of  the  mur- 
der of  Louis  XVI."  He  said  to  Metternich :  "  When 
I  was  young  I  favored  the  Revolution  out  of  igno- 
rance and  ambition.  When  I  came  to  the  age  of  rea- 
son I  followed  its  counsels  and  my  own  instinct,  and 
crushed  the  Revolution."  At  another  time  he  said : 
"The  French  throne  was  empty.  Louis  XVI.  had 
not  been  able  to  hold  it.  If  I  had  been  in  his  place, 
in  spite  of  the  immense  progress  it  had  made  in 


290  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOtTISE. 

men's  minds  during  the  previous  reigns,  the  Revo- 
lution would  not  have  triumphed.  When  the  King 
fell,  the  Republic  took  its  place ;  and  I  set  that  aside. 
The  former  throne  was  buried  under  the  ruins;  I  had 
to  make  a  new  one." 

According  to  Prince  Metternich,  "  One  of  Napo- 
leon's keenest  and  most  persistent  regrets  was  that 
he  could  not  appeal  to  the  principle  of  legitimacy  as 
the  foundation  of  his  power.  Few  men  have  felt  like 
him  the  fragility  and  precariousness  of  authority 
without  this  basis,  and  its  vulnerability  to  attacks." 
One  day,  in  speaking  to  the  Austrian  statesman  about 
the  letter  he  wrote  when  First  Consul  to  Louis  XVIII., 
he  said :  "  His  answer  was  dignified  and  rich  in  impres- 
sive traditions.  In  Legitimists  there  is  something 
which  lies  outside  of  their  intelligence.  If  he  had 
consulted  his  intellect  alone,  he  would  have  come  to 
terms  with  me,  and  I  should  have  treated  him  most 
generously." 

The  Emperor  had  come  to  regard  himself  as  the 
glorious  personification  of  divine  right,  and  as  the 
defender  of  all  the  monarchies.  In  his  eyes  the 
King  of  Prussia  was  only  a  revolutionary  monarch. 
If  we  may  believe  Chateaubriand,  "Frederick  Wil- 
liam's great  crime,  according  to  Bonaparte  the  Repub- 
lican, was  this,  that  he  abandoned  the  cause  of  the 
kings.  The  negotiations  of  the  Berlin  court  with 
the  Directory  indicated,  Bonaparte  used  to  say,  a 
timid,  selfish,  undignified  policy,  which  sacrificed  his 
own  position  and  the  general  monarchical  interests 


NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.      291 

to  petty  advantages.  When  he  used  to  look  at  the 
new  Prussia  on  the  map  he  would  say,  '  Is  it  possible 
that  I  have  left  that  man  so  much  territory?  ' ' 

The  philosophers  aroused  as  much  horror  in  Napo- 
leon as  the  Jacobins.  In  his  eyes  strong  minds  were 
weak  minds ;  and  though  he  persecuted  the  Pope,  he 
denounced  with  equal  severity  attacks  on  the  throne 
and  attacks  on  the  Church.  He  especially  detested 
the  Voltairian  irony,  regarding  it  as  both  blasphemous 
and  treasonable.  To  quote  once  more  from  Prince 
Metternich :  "  He  had  a  profound  contempt  for  the 
false  philosophy  as  well  as  for  the  false  philanthropy 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  Of  all  the  founders  of 
the  doctrine  it  was  Voltaire  who  was  his  pet  aver- 
sion, and  he  carried  his  hate  so  far  as  to  attack  on 
every  occasion  his  general  literary  reputation." 

Napoleon  thought,  spoke,  and  acted  as  if  he  had 
always  been  Emperor  and  King.  In  the  whole  world 
there  was  no  court  so  magnificent  and  brilliant  as  his. 
Many  kings  were  admitted  to  it  only  as  French 
princes,  high  dignitaries  of  the  Empire :  Joseph, 
King  of  Spain,  was  a  Great  Elector ;  Murat,  King  of 
the  Two  Sicilies,  Lord  High  Admiral ;  Louis  Bona- 
parte, deprived  of  the  throne  of  Holland,  figures  in 
the  Imperial  Almanac  of  1812  in  his  capacity  of  Con- 
stable. The  other  high  dignitaries  at  this  epoch  were 
Cambace're's,  Duke  of  Parma,  Lord  High  Chancellor 
of  the  Empire;  Lebrun,  Duke  of  Piacenza,  Lord 
High  Treasurer,  Governor  General  of  the  Depart- 
ments of  Holland;  Prince  Eugene  de  Beauharnais, 


292  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Viceroy  of  Italy,  Lord  High  Chancellor  of  State ; 
Prince  Borghese,  Governor  General  of  the  Depart- 
ments beyond  the  Alps ;  Marshal  Berthier,  Prince  of 
Neufchatel  and  of  Wagram,  Vice  Constable ;  Talley- 
rand, Prince  of  Benevento,  Vice  Great  Elector.  At 
the  head  of  his  military  household,  the  Emperor  had 
four  colonel-generals  of  the  Imperial  Guard,  all  four 
marshals  of  France,  Davoust,  Duke  of  Auerstadt  and 
Prince  of  Eckmiihl ;  Soult,  Duke  of  Dalmatia ;  Bes- 
sieres,  Duke  of  Istria ;  Mortier,  Duke  of  Treviso. 
Moreover,  there  were  ten  aides-de-camp,  nine  of  whom 
were  generals  of  divisions,  and  thirteen  orderly  offi- 
cers. For  Grand  Almoner  he  had  Cardinal  Fesch, 
Archbishop  of  Lyons,  aided  by  four  ordinary  al- 
moners, two  archbishops, and  two  bishops;  for  Grand 
Marshal  of  the  Palace,  Duroc,  Duke  of  Frioul;  for 
High  Chamberlain,  the  Count  of  Montesquieu  Fe- 
zensac  ;  for  First  Equerry,  General  de  Caulaincourt, 
Duke  of  Vicenza ;  for  Chief  Huntsman,  Marshal 
Berthier,  Prince  of  Neufchatel  and  of  Wagram;  for 
Grand  Master  of  Ceremonies,  the  Count  of  Se"gur, 
formerly  the  Ambassador  of  Louis  XVI.  to  the  great 
Catherine  of  Russia.  The  Emperor  had  no  fewer 
than  ninety  chamberlains,  among  whom  figured  these 
among  other  great  names  of  the  old  regime :  an  Aubus- 
son  de  la  Teuillade,  a  Galard  de  Be*arn,  a  Marmier,  a 
d' Alsace,  a  Turenne,  a  Noailles,  a  Brancas,  a  Gontaut, 
a  Gramont,  a  Beauvau,  a  Sapicha,  a  Radziwill,  a 
Potocki,  a  Choiseul-Praslin,  a  Nicolay,  a  Chabot,  a 
La  Vieuville. 


NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.      293 

This  aristocratic  court  knew  no  lack  of  amuse- 
ments. The  winter  of  1811-12  was  one  long  succes- 
sion of  pleasures.  "It  was  in  the  whirl  of  these  enter- 
tainments and  festivities  of  all  sorts,"  says  Madame 
Durand,  first  lady-in-waiting  to  the  Empress,  "that 
Napoleon  formed  his  plan  for  the  conquest  of  Russia. 
The  spoiled  child  of  fortune,  intoxicated  with  flattery, 
never  dreaming  of  the  possibility  of  defeat,  seemed  to 
be  calculating  his  victories  in  advance,  and  to  regard 
pleasures  as  the  preparations  for  war.  Not  a  day 
passed  without  a  play,  a  concert,  or  a  masked  ball  at 
court."  The  theatrical  representations  on  the  Tuil- 
eries'  stage  were  most  impressive.  The  Emperor  and 
Empress  occupied  a  box  opposite  the  stage.  The 
princes  and  princesses  sat  on  each  side  of  them  or 
behind;  on  the  right  was  the  box  of  the  foreign 
ambassadors ;  on  the  left,  that  of  the  French  Minis- 
ters. A  large  gallery  was  reserved  for  the  ladies  of 
the  court,  who  all  dressed  magnificently  and  wore 
sparkling  jewels.  A  number  of  distinguished  men 
filled  the  pit,  all  in  court  dress,  with  small-sword, 
and  ribbons  and  orders.  During  the  entr'actes  the 
Emperor's  liveried  footmen  carried  about  ices  and 
refreshments  of  various  kinds.  The  hall  was  most 
brilliantly  lit.  The  balls  in  the  great  rooms  of  the 
first  floor,  and  the  dinners  in  the  Diana  Gallery, 
were  equally  sumptuous.  The  Emperor,  however, 
especially  delighted  in  the  masked  balls,  when,  chang- 
ing his  Imperial  robes  for  a  simple  domino,  he  whose 
police  system  was  so  perfect,  who  knew  and  saw 


294  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

everything,  used  to  baffle  the  women,  and  tease  or 
surprise  their  husbands  and  lovers. 

Everywhere  Napoleon  used  to  make  himself  feared, 
at  a  ball  as  well  as  in  a  meeting  of  his  Ministers. 
At  an  entertainment  he  won  as  much  glory  as  on  the 
battle-field.  Even  those  who  hated  him  had  to 
admire  him,  for  he  had  a  most  wonderful  power  of 
astounding  and  fascinating  every  one.  His  aide, 
General  de  Narbonne,  had  an  old  mother,  who  main- 
tained her  allegiance  to  the  old  royalty.  "  See  here, 
my  dear  Narbonne,"  the  Emperor  said  one  day,  "  it's 
a  bad  thing  for  me  that  you  see  your  mother  so  often. 
I  understand  that  she  doesn't  like  me."  "  True," 
replied  the  crafty  courtier,  "she  hasn't  got  beyond 
admiration."  This  same  Count  de  Narbonne  had 
been  off  to  preside  at  an  electoral  meeting  in  a 
department  some  distance  from  Paris.  "  What  do 
they  say  about  me  in  the  different  departments  you 
have  been  through  ?  "  asked  the  Emperor.  "  Sire," 
replied  M.  de  Narbonne,  "  some  say  you  are  a  god, 
and  others  say  you  are  a  devil ;  but  all  agree  that 
you  are  something  more  than  a  human  being."  . 

A  witty  observer,  who  was  inclined  to  witticism 
rather  than  to  enthusiasm,  said  of  the  Napoleon  of 
1811 :  "  His  genius  controlled  every  one's  thoughts. 
I  believed  that  he  was  born  to  rule  Fortune,  and  it 
seemed  to  be  natural  enough  that  people  should  pros- 
trate themselves  before  his  feet ;  that  became,  in  my 
eyes,  the  normal  way  of  the  world."  Count  Beug- 
not,  who  was  at  that  time  ruling  the  Grand  Duchy 


NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.      295 

of  Berg,  adds:  "I  worked  all  night  with  extraor- 
dinary  zeal,  and  thereby  surprised  the  inhabitants, 
who  did  not  know  that  the  Emperor  performed  for 
all  his  officers,  at  whatever  distance  they  might  be, 
the  miracle  of  real  presence.  I  imagined  that  I  saw 
him  before  me,  when  I  was  working  alone  in  my  room, 
and  this  impression,  which  sometimes  inspired  me 
with  ideas  far  beyond  my  powers,  more  often  pre- 
served me  from  lapses  due  to  negligence  or  careless- 
ness. An  ancient  writer  has  said  that  it  was  of  great 
service  for  a  man's  conduct  of  life,  if  he  could  feel  him- 
self in  the  presence  of  a  superior  being ;  and  I  am  in- 
clined to  believe,  that  the  Emperor  was  generally  so 
well  served,  because,  whether  through  the  precautions 
he  took,  or  through  the  influence  of  his  name,  which 
was  uttered  everywhere  and  all  the  time,  every  one  of 
his  servants  saw  him  continually  at  his  side." 

If  Napoleon  produced  such  an  effect  even  at  a 
distance,  what  an  impression  he  must  have  made  on 
those  who  were  near  him!  Count  Miot  de  Melito 
thus  describes  an  Imperial  reception  in  1811:  "Never 
had  the  Tuileries  displayed  more  pomp  and  magnifi- 
cence. Never  had  a  greater  number  of  princes, 
ambassadors,  distinguished  foreigners,  generals,  splen- 
did in  gold,  and  purple,  and  jewels,  ablaze  with 
orders  and  ribbons  of  every  color,  offered  more  obse- 
quious homage  or  sought  with  more  eagerness  at 
Versailles  for  the  favor  of  a  word  or  of  a  glance. 
The  Emperor  alone  seemed  free  and  unconstrained. 
With  an  assured  step  he  passed  through  the  throng 


296  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

of  courtiers,  who  respectfully  made  way  before  him. 
With  a  look  he  transported  with  rapture  or  crushed 
those  who  approached  him;  and  if  he  deigned  to 
speak  to  any  one,  the  happy  mortal  thus  honored 
stood  with  bowed  head  and  attentive  ear,  scarcely 
daring  to  breathe  or  to  reply." 

Napoleon  had  then  given  France  so  much  glory 
that  the  loss  of  liberty  was  hardly  perceived. 

December  19,  1832,  Victor  Hugo,  in  a  speech 
before  the  Court  of  Commons,  where  he  was  trying 
to  compel  the  government  to  let  "  Le  Roi  s'amuse  "  be 
given,  spoke  thus  of  the  Imperial  government: 
"  Then,  sirs,  it  is  great !  The  Empire,  in  its  adminis- 
tration and  government,  was,  to  be  sure,  an  intolerable 
tyranny,  but  let  us  remember  that  our  liberty  was 
largely  paid  for  with  glory.  At  that  time  France, 
like  Rome  under  Caesar,  maintained  an  attitude  at 
once  submissive  and  proud.  It  was  not  the  France 
we  desire,  free,  ruling  itself,  but  rather  a  France, 
the  slave  of  one  man,  and  mistress  of  the  world.  It 
used  to  be  said,  '  On  such  a  day,  at  such  an  hour,  I 
shall  enter  that  capital,'  and  they  entered  that  day 
and  at  that  hour.  All  sorts  of  kings  used  to  elbow 
one  another  in  his  ante-chambers.  A  dynasty  would 
be  dethroned  by  a  decree  in  the  Moniteur.  If  a 
column  was  wanted,  the  Emperor  of  Austria  used  to 
furnish  the  bronze.  The  control  of  the  French  come- 
dians was,  I  confess,  a  little  arbitrary,  but  their 
orders  were  dated  from  Moscow.  We  were  shorn  of 
all  our  liberties,  I  say ;  there  was  a  rigid  censorship, 


NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.      297 

our  books  were  pilloried,  our  posters  were  torn 
down ;  but  to  all  our  complaints  a  single  word 
sufficed  for  a  magnificent  reply;  they  could  answer 
us  with  Marengo  !  Jena  !  Austerlitz  !  " 

And  the  poet  thus  ended  his  speech  :  "  I  have  but 
a  few  more  words  to  say,  and  I  hope  that  you  will 
remember  them  when  you  proceed  to  your  delibera- 
tions. They  are  these :  '  In  this  century  there  has 
been  only  one  great  man  —  Napoleon  ;  and  only  one 
great  thing — Liberty.  We  no  longer  have  the  great 
man ;  let  us  try  to  have  the  great  thing.'  " 

Certainly  he  exceeded  the  common  measure,  that 
man  of  whom  Chateaubriand,  his  implacable  foe, 
said :  "  The  world  belongs  to  Bonaparte.  What  that 
destroyer  could  not  finish,  his  fame  has  seized.  Liv- 
ing, he  missed  the  world ;  dead,  he  possesses  it.  You 
may  protest,  but  generations  pass  by  without  hearing 
you."  When  some  one  asked  the  illustrious  author 
why,  after  so  violently  attacking  Napoleon,  he  ad- 
mired him  so  much,  the  answer  was,  "  The  giant 
had  to  fall  before  I  could  measure  his  height." 

Those  who  were  nearest  to  Napoleon  regarded  him 
as  an  almost  supernatural  being.  The  Baron  of 
Me*neval,  who,  before  he  was  the  private  secretary  of 
Marie  Louise,  when  regent,  had  been  secretary  of  the 
First  Consul  and  Emperor,  thus  writes:  "By  the 
influence  which  Napoleon  exercised  on  his  age  he 
was  more  than  a  man.  Never  perhaps  will  a  human 
being  accomplish  greater  things  than  did  this  privi- 
leged creature  in  so  few  years,  in  the  face  of  so 


298  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

many  obstacles ;  yet  these  were  inferior  to  those  of 
which  the  plans  lay  in  his  mighty  head.  The  mem- 
ory of  that  time,  of  the  hours  I  spent  with  this 
wonderful  man,  seems  to  me  a  dream.  In  the  deep 
feeling  which  he  arouses  in  me,  I  have  to  bow  before 
the  impenetrable  decrees  of  Providence,  which,  after 
inspiring  this  wonderful  instrument  of  its  plans,  tore 
him  from  his  uncompleted  work.  Possibly  God  did 
not  wish  him  to  anticipate  the  time  He  had  estab- 
lished by  an  invariable  order.  Possibly  He  did  not 
wish  a  mortal  to  exceed  human  proportions ! " 

If  Napoleon  was  thus  admired,  even  after  the  ter- 
rible catastrophes  which  wrought  his  ruin,  even  after 
the  retreat  from  Russia,  after  the  two  invasions,  after 
Waterloo,  what  an  impression  he  must  have  made  on 
his  enthusiastic  partisans  when  he  was  the  incarna- 
tion of  success  and  glory,  when  there  was  no  spot 
on  the  sun  of  his  omnipotence,  and,  protected  by  some 
happy  fate,  he  had  disarmed  envy,  discouraged  hate, 
and  so  far  bound  Fortune  that  she  seemed  to  tremble 
before  him  like  an  obedient  slave  ! 

In  spite  of  the  glory  which  surrounded  him  in 
1812,  Napoleon,  who  is  often  represented  as  infatu- 
ated with  himself  and  his  glory,  yet  even  at  this 
moment  of  colossal  power  and  unheard-of  prosperity, 
had  moments  when  he  judged  himself  with  perfect 
impartiality.  He  knew  human  nature  thoroughly, 
and  he  indulged  in  no  illusions  about  his  family, 
which  he  distrusted,  or  about  his  marshals,  whose 
desertion  he  seemed  to  anticipate,  or  about  his  court- 


NAPOLEON  AT   THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.      299 

iers,  whose  flatteries  did  not  deceive  him.  Being 
convinced  that  interest  is  generally  the  sole  motive 
of  human  actions,  he  expected  neither  devotion  nor 
gratitude.  "  One  day,  in  speaking  to  my  father," 
says  General  de  Se"gur,  "he  asked  him  what  he 
thought  people  would  say  about  him  after  his  death, 
and  my  father  began  to  enlarge  on  the  way  we 
should  mourn  for  him.  '  Nothing  of  the  sort ! '  inter- 
rupted the  Emperor;  'you  would  all  say,  "Ah!" 
and  he  accompanied  this  word  with  a  consolatory 
gesture  which  expressed  '  at  last  we  can  take  a  long 
breath  and  be  at  peace.' "  It  was  not  after  his  defeats 
that  the  Emperor  said  this,  but  in  1811,  when  still 
mighty  and  successful. 

"The  Emperor,"  says  General  de  Se*gur  again, 
"  was  not  so  blind  as  some  have  thought,  as  to  the 
fate  that  awaited  his  gigantic  work.  He  was  often 
heard  to  say  that  his  heir  would  be  crushed  by  the 
vast  bulk  of  his  empire.  '  Poor  child ! '  he  said,  as 
he  gazed  on  the  King  of  Rome,  '  what  a  snarl  I  leave 
to  you.'  .  .  .  Every  one  knows  the  gloomy  impres- 
sion it  makes,  when  to  the  vigor  and  activity  of  youth 
there  succeeds,  with  advancing  years,  the  benumbing 
influence  of  stoutness.  This  transition,  a  melancholy 
warning,  came  over  Napoleon  at  the  end  of  1810. 
Doubtless  this  warning  of  physical  decline  and  weak- 
ness rendered  him  anxious  about  the  future  of  a 
work  founded  on  force.  This  was  apparent  when  he 
told  my  father :  '  The  shortest  ride  now  tires  me ; ' 
and  to  M.  Mollien  :  'I  am  mortal,  and  more  so  than 


300  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

many  men ; '  and  again,  '  My  heir  will  find  my  scep- 
tre very  heavy.'  As  he  regarded  the  future,  the 
only  power  that  seemed  to  threaten  this  sceptre  and 
this  heir  was  Russia,  and  it  may  be  that  as  he  began 
to  feel  himself  grow  old,  he  repented  that  he  had 
enlarged  its  territory  both  on  the  north  and  the 
south,  to  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  and  to  the  Danube. 
Hence,  possibly,  this  eager  desire  to  deal  the  country 
a  blow  arose  from  a  spirit  of  preservation  rather 
than  from  one  of  conquest,  and  the  charge  of  an 
overweening  and  uncontrollable  ambition  is  thus 
somewhat  refuted."  This  observation  is  not  wholly 
inaccurate.  It  may  be  that  if  the  Emperor  had  had 
no  son,  he  would  not  have  made  the  Russian  cam- 
paign, and  possibly  it  was  more  by  a  mistaken  calcu- 
lation than  by  pride,  that  he  was  drawn  into  this 
colossal  war  which,  he  hoped,  would  bring  the 
whole  continent,  and  consequently  England,  under 
his  control. 

A  great  deal  has  been  said  about  Napoleon's  pride  ; 
but  in  discussing  the  matter  it  is  necessary  to  dis- 
tinguish between  two  very  different  personages, — 
the  man  as  he  appeared  in  public,  and  the  man  as  he 
was  in  private.  In  public,  he  was  obliged  to  display 
more  majesty  than  any  other  sovereign.  The  nov- 
elty of  his  grandeur  made  additional  formality  neces- 
sary. When  the  general  became  Emperor,  he  was 
compelled  to  keep  at  a  distance  his  old  fellow-sol- 
diers who  had  formerly  been  his  equals  and  inti- 
mates, for  familiarity  would  have  lowered  his  glory 


NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.      301 

and  have  lessened  his  authority.  He  had  to  appear 
before  his  court  like  a  living  statue  that  never  de- 
scended from  its  pedestal.  It  was  hard  to  detect  a 
human  heart  beating  under  the  sovereign's  Imperial 
robes.  Yet  in  private  life  he  was  by  no  means  what 
he  seemed  in  public ;  when  he  returned  to  his  own 
rooms,  he  laid  aside  his  official  seriousness  as  if  he 
were  taking  off  a  fatiguing  uniform,  and  became  affa- 
ble and  familiar.  He  used  to  joke,  and  sometimes 
even  noisily.  He  was  no  longer  a  haughty  potentate, 
a  terrible  conqueror,  but  rather  a  good  husband  who 
was  kind  to  his  wife,  and  a  good  father  who  played 
with  his  child.  He  used  to  tease  the  companions  of 
Marie  Louise  wittily,  and  without  malice ;  he  would 
take  an  interest  in  their  dresses,  and  often  give  them 
bits  of  good  advice  in  the  gentlest  manner.  He  took 
as  much  interest  in  the  minutest  details  as  in  the 
greatest  questions.  He  was  indulgent  and  generous 
to  his  officials,  and  knew  how  to  make  himself  loved 
by  them.  He  and  Marie  Louise  lived  most  happily 
together,  as  his  valet  de  chambre,  Constant,  tells 
us,  "  As  father  and  husband  he  might  have  been  a 
model  for  all  his  subjects."  He  simply  adored  his 
son,  and  knew  how  to  play  with  him  better  than  did 
the  Empress.  As  Madame  Durand  says:  "Being 
without  experience  with  children,  Marie  Louise 
never  dared  to  hold  or  pet  the  King  of  Rome ;  she 
was  afraid  of  hurting  him  :  consequently,  he  became 
more  attached  to  his  governess  than  to  his  mother — 
a  preference  which  at  last  made  Marie  Louise  a  little 


302  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

jealous.  The  Emperor,  on  the  other  hand,  used  to 
take  him  in  his  arms  every  time  he  saw  him,  play 
with  him,  hold  him  before  a  looking-glass,  and  make 
all  sorts  of  faces  at  him.  At  breakfast,  he  used  to 
hold  him  on  his  knees,  and  would  dip  one  of  his  rin- 
gers in  a  sauce,  and  let  the  child  suck  it,  and  rub  it 
all  over  its  face.  If  the  governess  complained,  the 
Emperor  would  laugh,  and  the  child,  who  was  almost 
always  merry,  seemed  to  like  his  father's  noisy  ca- 
resses. It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  those  who  had 
any  favor  to  ask  of  the  Emperor  when  he  was  thus 
employed  were  almost  sure  of  a  favorable  reception. 
Before  he  was  two  years  old  the  young  Prince  was 
always  present  at  Napoleon's  breakfast." 

At  this  period  of  his  life  Napoleon  was  really 
happy.  The  two  years  that  he  spent  in  the  society 
of  the  young  Empress  formed  a  blessed  rest  in  his 
stormy  career;  he  loved  his  wife  and  thought  that  she 
loved  him.  He  was  grateful  to  her  for  being  an 
archduchess,  for  her  beauty,  youth,  and  health;  for 
having  given  him  an  heir  to  the  Empire.  He  con- 
tinually rejoiced  in  a  marriage  which,  to  be  sure,  in- 
spired him  with  many  illusions,  but  yet  gave  him  at 
least  some  moments  of  moral  repose  and  domestic 
calm,  which  are  of  importance  in  the  life  of  such  a 
man.  Why  was  he  not  wise  enough  to  stop  and 
give  thanks  to  Providence,  instead  of  continuing  his 
perilous  course  and  forever  tempting  fortune?  How 
many  evils  he  would  have  spared  France,  Europe, 
luiuself  I  A  few  concessions  would  have  dis« 


NAPOLEON  AT  THE  HEIGHT  OF  POWER.     303 

armed  his  adversaries,  have  satisfied  Germany,  have 
consolidated  the  Austrian  alliance,  strengthened  the 
thrones,  and  brought  about  a  lasting  and  general 
peace.  We  may  say  that  Napoleon  was  his  own 
worst  enemy,  and  that  when  he  held  his  happiness  in 
his  hand  he  willingly  let  it  drop  on  the  ground.  It 
was  not  his  second  marriage  that  ruined  him,  but 
rather  the  over-bold  combination  which  led  him  to 
extend  the  line  of  his  military  operations  from  Cadiz 
to  Moscow. 


XXV. 

MAEIE  LOUISE  LN"  1812. 

Empress  Marie  Louise  was  twenty,  Decem- 
ber  12, 1811.  Early  in  1812  she,  like  Napoleon, 
was  at  the  summit  of  her  fortune.  During  the  two 
years  of  her  reign  she  had  received  nothing  but  hom- 
age in  France,  and  no  woman  in  the  whole  world 
held  so  lofty  a  position.  We  will  try  to  draw  a  por- 
trait of  her  at  this  time  when  she  had  reached  the 
top  of  the  wave  of  human  prosperity. 

Kather  handsome  than  pretty,  Marie  Louise  was 
more  impressive  than  charming.  Her  most  striking 
quality  was  her  freshness ;  her  whole  person  bespoke 
physical  and  moral  health.  Her  face  was  more  gen- 
tle than  striking ;  her  eyes  were  very  blue  and  full  of 
animation ;  she  had  a  rich  complexion ;  her  hair  was 
light  yellow,  but  not  colorless;  her  nose,  slightly 
aquiline ;  her  red  lips  were  a  trifle  thick,  like  those 
of  all  the  Hapsburgs ;  her  hands  and  feet  were  models 
of  beauty ;  she  had  an  impressive  carriage,  and  was  a 
little  above  the  medium  height.  When  she  arrived 
in  France,  she  was  a  little  too  stout,  and  her  face  was 
a  little  too  red;  but  after  the  birth  of  her  child  these 

304 


MAE  IE  LOUISE  IN  18  IS.  305 

two  slight  imperfections  disappeared.  With  a  more 
delicate  figure  she  became  more  graceful,  and  no 
woman  ever  had  a  finer  complexion.  Being  endowed 
with  a  most  sturdy  constitution,  she  owed  all  her 
beauty  to  nature  and  nothing  to  artifice;  her  face 
needed  no  paint,  her  wit  no  coquetry ;  with  no  fond- 
ness for  luxury  or  dress,  possessing  simple  and  quiet 
tastes,  never  striving  for  effect,  always  preferring  half- 
tints  to  a  blaze  of  light,  her  expression  and  demeanor 
always  had  a  quality  of  simplicity  and  directness 
which  fascinated  Napoleon,  who  was  very  glad  to  turn 
from  experienced  coquettes  to  a  really  natural  person. 

Those  who  had  supervised  Marie  Louise's  educa- 
tion rightly  thought  that  the  greatest  charm  in  a 
young  girl  was  innocence.  She  had  been  brought  up 
with  the  most  scrupulous  care.  The  books  to  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  archduchesses  were  first 
carefully  read,  and  any  improper  passages  or  even 
words  were  excised ;  no  male  animals  were  admitted 
into  their  apartments,  but  only  females,  these  being 
endowed  with  more  modest  instincts.  Napoleon,  who 
was  accustomed  to  the  women  of  the  end  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century  and  to  the  heroines  of  the  court  of 
Barras,  was  delighted  to  find  a  girl  so  pure  and  so 
carefully  trained. 

On  grand  occasions  Marie  Louise  bore  no  resem- 
blance to  the  Marie  Louise  in  private  life;  she 
assumed  a  coldness  which  was  mistaken  for  disdain. 
She  became  imposing ;  she  weighed  every  word ;  and 
careless  observers  attributed  to  haughtiness  what,  was 


306  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

really  due  to  reserve  and  timidity.  The  young  Em- 
press had  every  reason  to  distrust  the  French  court. 
She  knew  what  it  had  cost  her  great-aunt,  Marie 
Antoinette,  to  try  to  live  on  the  throne  like  a  private 
person,  and  to  carry  kindliness  even  to  familiarity. 
The  best  way  for  the  Empress  to  escape  malevolence 
and  criticism  was  by  saying  very  little.  She  knew 
French  very  well,  but  it  was  not  her  mother-tongue, 
and  however  well  acquainted  with  its  grammar,  she 
could  not  know  perfectly  the  fine  shades  of  the  lan- 
guage. Her  fear  of  employing  possibly  correct  but 
unusual  expressions  made  her  timid  about  speaking. 
Besides,  her  husband  would  not  have  liked  to  see  her 
taking  part  in  long  conversations.  Political  subjects 
were  forbidden  to  her,  and  her  great  charm  in  Napo- 
leon's eyes  was  that  she  did  not  interfere  in  such 
matters.  She  never  tried  to  pass  for  a  witty  woman. 
Although  she  was  well-read,  she  lacked  the  delicate 
observation,  the  ingenious  comparisons,  the  jingling 
of  brilliant  phrases  or  words  which  compose  what  in 
France  is  called  wit.  She  had  no  confidence  in  the 
character  of  the  prominent  Frenchwomen,  of  the 
romantic  but  unsentimental  beauties  who  always 
expressed  more  than  they  felt,  who  knew  how  to 
faint  when  fainting  would  be  of  use  to  them,  and 
who  in  their  drawing-rooms,  and  especially  in  their 
boudoirs,  bore  too  close  a  resemblance  to  actresses 
upon  the  stage.  Marie  Louise  never  assumed  any 
feelings  or  ideas  which  were  not  genuine.  She  was 
always  natural. 


MARIE  LOUISE  IN  1811.  307 

Comparing  his  two  wives,  Napoleon  at  Saint 
Helena  said :  "  One  was  art  and  grace ;  the  other, 
innocence  and  simple  nature.  My  first  wife  never, 
at  any  moment  of  her  life,  had  any  ways  or  manners 
that  were  not  agreeable  and  attractive.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  to  find  any  fault  with  her  in 
this  respect;  she  tried  to  make  only  a  favorable  im- 
pression, and  seemed  to  attain  her  end  without  study. 
She  employed  every  possible  art  to  adorn  herself, 
but  so  carefully  that  one  could  only  suspect  their 
use.  The  other  had  no  idea  that  there  was  anything 
to  be  gained  by  these  innocent  artifices.  One  was 
always  a  little  inexact;  her  first  idea  was  to  deny 
everything :  the  other  never  dissimulated,  and  hated 
everything  roundabout.  My  first  wife  never  asked 
for  anything,  but  she  ran  up  debts  right  and  left; 
my  second  always  asked  for  more  when  she  needed 
it,  which  was  seldom.  She  never  bought  anything 
without  feeling  bound  to  pay  for  it  on  the  spot.  But 
both  were  kind,  gentle,  and  devoted  to  their  husband." 

Marie  Louise  did  not  shine  in  a  drawing-room  like 
Josephine ;  that  would  have  required  a  French  tact 
which  she  did  not  in  the  least  possess.  The  first 
Empress  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  French  society, 
which  the  second  did  not  know  at  all.  Josephine 
had  seen  the  last  brilliancy  of  the  old  regime  and  the 
golden  days  of  the  Revolution ;  she  had  been  a  con- 
spicuous figure  in  that  brilliant  but,  above  all,  amus- 
ing period,  of  which  Talleyrand  said,  "  No  one  who 
did  not  live  before  1789  knows  how  charming  life 


308  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

can  be."  As  Viscountess  of  Beauharnais,  she  was  in- 
timate with  the  most  intelligent  persons  in  Paris. 
Though  far  less  educated  than  Marie  Louise,  her 
conversation  was  more  animated  and  had  a  wider 
range.  No  subject  was  too  deep  for  her;  and  al- 
though she  never  said  anything  very  important,  she 
always  could  give  what  she  had  to  say  an  agreeable 
turn.  Her  most  ardent  desire  was  to  make  people 
forget,  by  her  fascinations,  that  she  was  not  born  to 
the  throne,  and  she  seemed  always  endeavoring  to 
be  pardoned  for  her  elevation  into  the  society  of  the 
Faubourg  Saint  Germain.  The  names  of  the  great 
French  families  always  made  much  more  impression 
on  her,  who  had  risen  from  the  people,  than  on  Marie 
Louise,  who  by  birth  as  well  as  position  could  look 
down  on  all  the  French  ladies  without  exception.  It 
was  not  those  who  had  belonged  to  the  old  regime 
whom  she  preferred ;  Madame  Lannes  was  far  more 
congenial  to  her  than  the  Princess  of  Beauvau  or  the 
Countess  of  Montesquieu.  She  never  sought  to 
flatter  the  Faubourg  Saint  Germain,  but  rather  kept 
it  at  a  distance,  making  none  of  the  advances  to 
which  it  was  accustomed  at  the  hands  of  the  first 
Empress.  She  felt  that  the  Royalists  secretly  blamed 
her  for  attaching  her  old  coat-of-arms  to  the  new 
fortune  of  Bonaparte.  She  belonged  to  a  race  which 
had  never  felt  a  warm  love  for  the  Bourbons ;  while 
Josephine,  who  was  born  in  a  family  of  Royalists, 
had  remained  faithful,  even  when  on  the  Imperial 
throne,  to  her  devotion  to  the  old  Royalty. 


MARIE  LOUISE  IN  1812.  309 

Marie  Louise  indulged  in  no  illusions.  She  knew 
that  the  courtiers,  under  the  appearance  of  adoration 
which  amounted  to  servility,  were  really  concealing 
a  depth  of  malice  and  ill-will,  which  was  the  more 
dangerous  the  more  it  was  hidden,  and  that  the  very 
ones  who  were  burning  incense  before  her  would  be 
the  most  delighted  to  catch  her  tripping.  Hence  she 
was  always  on  her  guard,  and  in  public  steadily  main- 
tained an  attitude  of  cold  benevolence  and  discreet 
reserve.  Napoleon  loved  her,  for  the  very  reason 
that  her  qualities  were  the  exact  opposite  of  those  of 
Josephine ;  and  if  she  had  striven  to  copy  the  former 
Empress,  she  would  only  have  sunk  in  her  husband's 
estimation.  He  had  bidden  her  never  to  forget  that 
she  was  a  sovereign,  as  he  was  always  Emperor :  she 
obeyed  him,  and  she  did  right  to  obey  him.  Strong 
in  her  husband's  approval,  —  for  he  never  had  occasion 
for  the  slightest  reproach,  —  she  persisted  in  the  very 
prudent  and  dignified  line  of  conduct  that  she  had 
adopted  on  entering  France.  She  had  every  reason 
to  be  proud  of  her  success ;  for  so  long  as  she  lived 
with  Napoleon,  no  whisper  of  calumny  attacked  her, 
no  faintest  insinuation  was  breathed  against  her  mo- 
rality. At  Saint  Helena,  the  Emperor  said,  "  Marie 
Louise  was  virtue  itself." 

The  untiring  precision  of  her  demeanor  and  of  her 
words  protected  the  Empress  from  criticism,  but 
aroused  no  enthusiastic  praise.  She  was  more  es- 
teemed than  loved;  and,  in  spite  of  her  precocious 
wisdom,  she  aroused  no  fervent  sympathy,  none  of 


310  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

the  enthusiastic  admiration  which  less  reserved,  more 
amiable  queens  have  inspired.  Still,  no  one  found 
fault  with  her.  Count  Miot  de  Melito,  in  describing 
a  reception  at  the  Tuileries  in  1811,  says :  "  The  Em- 
press entered.  .  .  .  Her  face  wore  a  dignified  but 
somewhat  disdainful  expression.  She  walked  round 
the  room,  accompanied  by  the  Duchess  of  Monte- 
bello,  and  spoke  agreeably  and  pleasantly  with  a 
number  of  people  whom  she  had  introduced  to  her, 
and  all  were  gratified  by  their  kindly  reception." 

The  Duke  of  Rovigo,  the  Minister  of  Police,  speaks 
thus  in  his  Memoirs :  "  Marie  Louise  aroused  enthusi- 
asm whenever  she  opened  her  mouth.  Her  success 
in  France  was  entirely  her  own  work ;  for  I  declare, 
on  my  honor,  the  authorities  never  adopted  any  par- 
ticular methods  to  secure  for  her  a  warm  welcome  from 
the  public.  When  she  was  to  appear  in  a  procession 
or  at  the  theatre,  all  the  authorities  did  was  to  pro- 
vide against  the  slightest  breach  of  order  or  propri- 
ety ;  beyond  that,  nothing  was  done.  For  example, 
when  I  was  told  that  she  was  going  to  the  theatre,  I 
used  to  take  all  the  boxes  opposite  the  one  she  was  to 
occupy,  and  all  others  from  which  people  might  stare 
at  her.  Then  I  took  the  precaution  of  sending  the. 
tickets  for  these  boxes  to  respectable  families,  who 
were  very  glad  to  use  them.  In  this  way  I  filled  the 
balcony  on  the  days  when  the  Empress  meant  to  be 
present.  As  to  any  steps  towards  insuring  a  warm 
welcome  from  the  pit,  I  simply  did  not  take  any. 
The  Empress  Marie  Louise  was  accustomed,  when 


MAEIE  LOUISE  IN  1812.  311 

she  came  before  the  public,  to  make  three  courtesies, 
and  so  gracefully  that  the  applause  always  broke  out 
with  great  warmth  before  the  third.  It  was  she  her- 
self who  bade  me  take  no  active  steps  on  such  occa- 
sions." After  thus  greeting  the  audience,  the  Em- 
press used  to  sit  modestly  in  the  back  of  the  box. 
To  be  gazed  at  through  all  the  opera-glasses  always 
annoyed  her.  Her  lofty  rank,  the  pride  of  her  posi- 
tion, which  would  have  filled  other  women  with  rap- 
ture, left  her  almost  indifferent. 

Marie  Louise  was  certainly  attached  to  Napoleon, 
but  we  may  doubt  whether  she  was  really  in  love 
with  him.  He  was  twenty-two  years  her  senior; 
and  if  she  was  a  wife  who  suited  him  in  every 
particular,  probably  he  was  not  the  husband  of  whom 
she  had  dreamed.  He  possessed  too  much  power, 
too  much  genius,  too  much  majesty;  a  quiet  home 
would  have  pleased  her  better  than  the  Imperial 
Olympus,  of  which  he  was  the  Jupiter,  and  she  the 
Juno.  Doubtless  his  glory  was  unrivalled,  but  he 
had  won  the  best  part  of  it  through  Austrian  defeats. 
Arcola  and  Marengo,  Austerlitz  and  Wagram,  were 
names  that  wounded  Austrian  ears.  Had  she  been 
free  to  choose,  she  would  perhaps  have  preferred  to 
this  all-powerful  Emperor  any  petty  German  prince, 
who  possessed  neither  great  wealth  nor  vast  terri- 
tories, but  who  shared  her  memories,  ideas,  and  hopes. 
Yet  she  had  resolved  to  love  her  husband,  and  sho 
easily  succeeded  in  so  doing.  She  was  grateful  for 
his  kindness,  his  consideration,  his  respect ;  and  in  her 


312  THE  EMPBESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

affectionate  but  not  passionate  devotion  there  was  no 
trace  of  reluctance.  She  sincerely  thought  that  she 
would  always  be  faithful  to  him.  She  was  not  only 
attached  to  him,  she  was  also  jealous  of  him;  the 
proximity  of  Josephine  annoyed  and  disturbed  her. 
Jn  fact,  there  was  something  singular  in  the  simul- 
taneous presence  in  France  of  two  empresses  sharing 
almost  equally  the  official  honors.  Marie  Louise 
knew  how  popular  Josephine  was  ;  and  this  offended 
her,  although  she  pitied  a  woman  of  whom  the  rigid 
laws  of  public  policy  had  required  so  cruel  a  sacrifice. 
Possibly,  too,  she  feared  that  she  could  not  count  too 
absolutely  on  the  feelings  of  a  man  who,  for  reasons 
of  state,  had  abandoned  a  wife  whom  a  short  time 
before  he  had  really  loved.  Who  knows,  indeed,  but 
what  she  dreaded  the  same  fate  for  herself,  in  case 
she  should  bear  no  children?  She  felt  really  sure 
only  when  she  had  borne  a  son.  Before  that  she  was 
so  jealous  that  one  day  when  she  heard  that  Napoleon 
had  made  a  visit  to  Josephine,  she  was  seen  to  shed 
tears,  for  the  first  time  since  her  arrival  in  France. 
Another  time,  when  the  Emperor  had  suggested  to 
her  to  take  advantage  of  the  absence  of  the  first  Em- 
press, who  had  gone  to  Aix,  in  Savoy,  and  to  visit 
Malmaison,  her  face  suddenly  became  so  sad  that 
Napoleon  at  once  abandoned  the  plan.  But  after  the 
birth  of  King  of  Rome,  Marie  Louise  was  no  longer 
jealous.  Under  the  conviction  that  she  had  finally 
reconciled  Austria  and  France,  and  that  her  son  was 
the  pledge  of  the  peace  and  happiness  of  all  Europe, 


MAEIE  LOUISE  ITT  1819,  813 

she  thought  that  she  had  so  well  accomplished  her 
destiny  that  she  could  always  count  on  her  husband's 
affection  and  gratitude. 

Judging  by  the  words  of  Cardinal  Maury,  who  had 
been  so  famous  in  the  Constituent  Assembly,  and  had 
been  made  Archbishop  of  Paris  by  the  Emperor,  Na- 
poleon was  very  much  in  love  with  his  young  wife. 
"  It  would  be  impossible,"  he  wrote  to  the  Duchess 
of  Abrantes,  "  to  make  you  understand  how  much  the 
Emperor  loves  our  charming  Empress.  It  is  love, 
but  a  good  love  this  time.  He  is  in  love  with  her,  I 
tell  you,  and  as  he  never  was  with  Josephine;  for, 
after  all,  he  never  knew  her  when  she  was  young. 
She  was  over  thirty  when  they  married,  while  this 
wife  is  young  and  as  fresh  as  the  spring.  You  will 
see  her,  and  you  will  be  delighted  with  her0 . . .  And 
then  if  you  knew  how  gay  she  is,  how  pleasant,  and, 
above  all,  how  thoroughly  at  her  ease  with  all  those 
whom  the  Emperor  honors  with  his  intimacy  1  You 
will  see  how  lovable  she  is.  People  used  to  talk 
about  the  soirees  of  the  Queen  of  Holland.  I  assure 
you  the  Empress  is  very  charming  for  those  whom 
the  Emperor  admits  informally  into  the  Tuilerics. 
They  go  there  of  an  evening  to  pay  their  court, 
they  play  with  Their  Majesties  reversis  or  billiards ; 
ind  the  Empress  is  so  charming,  so  fascinating,  that 
It  is  easy  to  see  from  the  Emperor's  eyes  that  he  is 
dying  to  kiss  her." 

Probably  there  is  some  exaggeration  in  Cardinal 
Maury's  enthusiasm.  Doubtless  Marie  Louise  pleased 


314  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

Napoleon  very  much,  but  had  she  been  a  young  wo- 
man of  humble  rank,  he  probably  would  not  have 
noticed  her.  What  he  especially  admired  in  her 
was  the  Archduchess,  the  daughter  of  the  German 
Csesars,  and  in  the  feeling  she  aroused  in  him  there 
was  perhaps  more  gratified  vanity  than  real  love. 
He  certainly  was  not  attracted  to  her  by  one  of  those 
tempests  of  passion  which  had  drawn  him  towards 
Josephine  ;  he  would  not  have  written  to  his  second 
wife  burning  letters  like  those  he  wrote  to  Josephine 
during  the  first  campaign  in  Italy.  In  his  affection 
for  Marie  Louise  there  was  something  calm  and  rea- 
sonable, almost  paternal;  it  was  the  reflection  of 
maturity  succeeding  to  the  impetuous  ardor  of  youth. 
Yet  he  had  more  deference  and  regard  for  the  second 
Empress  than  for  the  first.  Shortly  after  her  mar- 
riage Marie  Louise  said  to  Metternich :  "  I  am  sure 
that  in  Vienna  people  think  a  great  deal  about  me, 
and  imagine  that  I  live  in  continual  anguish.  The 
truth  often  seems  improbable.  I  am  not  afraid  of  Na- 
poleon, but  I  am  beginning  to  think  that  he  is  afraid 
of  me." 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Emperor  was  not  per- 
fectly constant  to  Marie  Louise ;  but  even  if  he  was 
ever  unfaithful,  he  kept  the  fact  from  her  knowledge, 
and  never  made  his  second  wife  as  unhappy  as  he 
had  made  his  first.  He  used  to  boast  that  he  cared 
only  for  honest  men  and  virtuous  women,  and  he 
was  anxious  that  no  one  should  be  able  to  charge 
him  with  setting  a  bad  example.  His  court  had 


MARIE  LOUISE  IN  1812.  315 

become  very  strict,  at  least  in  appearance.  Decorum 
prevailed  there  as  rigidly  as  etiquette. 

Marie  Antoinette  had  in  fact  known  less  happiness 
than  Marie  Louise.  From  the  moment  she  entered 
France  she  encountered  a  sullen  enmity  which  Marie 
Louise  never  experienced.  The  Empress  was  never 
denounced  for  her  Austrian  birth  as  the  Queen  had 
been  by  the  opposition.  Marie  Antoinette  was  sur- 
rounded by  snares  and  pitfalls  which  were  never 
prepared  for  Marie  Louise.  Who  would  have  dared 
to  treat  Napoleon's  wife  as  the  Cardinal  de  Rohan 
treated  the  wife  of  Louis  XVI.  ?  What  could  there 
have  been  under  the  Empire  to  compare  with  the 
affair  of  the  necklace  ?  The  Queen  was  attacked  by 
pamphlets  of  all  sorts.  The  Empress  was  not  once 
insulted  or  slandered.  The  bitterest  foes  of  her 
husband  respected  her.  Moreover,  Napoleon  was  far 
more  attractive  than  Louis  XVI.,  and  Marie  Louise 
was  soon  a  mother,  while  Marie  Antoinette  long 
endured  a  barrenness  for  which  she  was  not  to 
blame. 

The  happiness  of  Marie  Louise  lasted  but  little 
more  than  two  years,  but  it  was  all  without  a  cloud. 
The  mistake  that  historians  always  make  in  discuss- 
ing celebrities  is  that  they  try  to  make  a  single  por- 
trait instead  of  a  series  of  portraits,  according  to  the 
different  ages  and  circumstances.  What  was  true  in 
1812  was  no  longer  true  in  1813,  still  less  so  in  1814. 
Human  life  has  its  seasons  like  the  year.  Is  any- 
thing less  like  a  brilliant  spring  day  than  a  gloomy 


316  THE  'EMPRESS  MARIE  LOTTISE. 

winter's  day?  In  his  history  of  the  Restoration, 
Lamartine  has  drawn  a  picture  of  the  Empress  Marie 
Louise  which  seems  tolerably  exact  for  the  period 
after  the  calamities  that  befell  the  Empire,  but  inap- 
plicable to  the  happy  days  of  the  mother  of  the 
King  of  Rome.  "  Marie  Louise,"  he  writes,  "  sought 
refuge  in  ceremony,  in  retreat  and  silence  from  the  ill- 
will  that  pursued  her  at  every  step.  .  .  .  Napoleon 
loved  her  from  a  feeling  of  superiority  and  pride. 
She  was  a  sign  of  his  alliance  with  great  races ;  the 
mother  of  his  son ;  and  thus  she  perpetuated  his  ambi- 
tion. .  .  .  The  public  did  wrong  to  demand  of  Marie 
Louise  passionate  returns  and  devotion  when  her 
nature  could  inspire  her  only  with  a  feeling  of  duty 
and  respect  for  a  soldier  who  had  regarded  her  only 
as  a  German  hostage  and  a  pledge  of  posterity. 
Her  constraint  lessened  her  natural  charms,  darkened 
her  expression,  dimmed  her  wit,  and  burdened  her 
heart.  She  was  looked  upon  as  a  foreign  decoration 
attached  to  the  columns  of  the  throne.  Even  his- 
tory, written  in  ignorance  of  the  truth,  and  inspired 
by  the  resentment  of  Napoleon's  courtiers,  has  slan- 
dered this  sovereign.  Those  who  knew  her  will 
restore,  not  the  stoical,  theatric  glory  which  was  de- 
manded of  her,  but  her  real  nature.  .  .  .  The  alleged 
emptiness  of  her  silence  hid  feminine  thoughts  and 
mysteries  of  feeling  which  transported  her  far  from 
this  court.  Magnificent  though  cruel  exile  I  .  .  . 
She  could  not  pretend  anything,  either  during  the 
days  of  her  grandeur,  nor  after  her  husband's  over- 


MARIE  LOUISE  IN  181S.  317 

throw ;  that  was  her  crime.  The  theatrical  world  of 
the  court  wanted  to  see  a  pretence  of  conjugal  affec- 
tion in  a  victor's  captive.  She  was  too  natural  to 
simulate  love  where  she  felt  only  obedience,  terror, 
and  resignation.  History  will  blame  her;  nature 
will  pity  her.  .  .  .  She  was  expected  to  play  a  part ; 
she  failed  as  an  actress,  but  as  a  woman  she  has  sur- 
vived." 

The  Marie  Louise  who  is  thus  described  by  Lamar- 
tine  is  not  the  Marie  Louise  of  the  beginning  of  1812 ; 
then  the  young  Empress  did  not  regard  herself  as  "  a 
victor's  captive,"  nor  as  "a  foreign  decoration  at- 
tached  to  the  columns  of  the  throne."  Napoleon  did 
not  inspire  her  with  terror,  and  she  knew  none  of  the 
constraint  which  "  lessened  her  natural  charms,  dark- 
ened her  expression,  dimmed  her  wit,  and  burdened 
her  heart."  She  did  not  look  upon  her  court  as  a 
"  magnificent  but  rude  exile."  These  thoughts  may 
have  occurred  to  her  in  misfortune,  but  hardly,  we 
think,  before  the  Russian  campaign.  If  Lamartine 
had  read  the  letters  which  she  wrote  to  her  father  in 
1810,  1811,  and  the  beginning  of  1812,  he  would 
doubtless  have  acknowledged  that  for  some  time 
Napoleon's  second  wife  was  happy  on  the  French 
throne. 

To  this  portrait  drawn  by  the  great  poet  we  prefer 
the  one  we  find  in  M^neval's  Memoirs :  "  The  better 
Napoleon  learned  to  know  the  Empress,  the  more  he 
applauded  his  choice.  Her  character  seemed  made 
for  him ;  she  brought  him  happiness  and  consolation 


318  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

amid  the  cares  of  his  stormy  career.  In  ordinary  life 
she  was  simple  and  kindly,  yet  with  no  loss  of  dignity. 
No  word  of  complaint  or  blame  ever  crossed  her  lips. 
Gentle,  but  reserved  and  discreet,  she  never  ex- 
pressed her  feelings  with  any  vivacity.  She  was 
kind  and  generous,  simple  and  astute  at  the  same 
time  ;  her  gayety  was  gentle,  her  wit  without  malice. 
Though  well-informed,  she  made  no  parade  of  her 
acquirements,  fearing  to  be  accused  of  pedantry. 
Her  wifely  devotion  had  won  the  Emperor's  affec- 
tion, and  her  unfailing  gentleness  had  attracted  all 
his  friends.  In  this  estimate  I  am  confirmed  by  my 
recollections,  and  I  am  not  inspired  by  any  partiality, 
by  what  has  happened,  or  by  any  present  interest.  It 
would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  her  duty  and  her 
inclinations  were  at  variance  ;  she  was  perfectly  nat- 
ural and  could  not  conceal  her  real  impressions ;  but 
events  have  shown  that  while  she  inclined  to  virtue 
when  it  was  easy,  she  yet  lacked  the  strength  to 
practise  it  when  it  was  hard." 

Marie  Louise  did  not  have  the  character  of  her 
great-grandmother  Marie  The're'se,  or  that  of  her 
great-aunt  Marie  Antoinette.  She  rather  resembled 
the  wife  of  Louis  XIV.  or  that  of  Louis  XV.  She 
would  have  led  a  calm,  modest,  harmless  life,  like 
those  two  queens,  if  her  fate  had  not  placed  her  amid 
unforeseen  and  terrible  events,  the  shock  of  which 
she  could  not  endure.  In  1812  we  see  her  a  loving 
mother,  a  faithful  wife,  a  worthy  sovereign.  If  Na- 
poleon had  adopted  a  less  imprudent  policy,  all  that 


MARIE  LOUISE  IN  181S.  319 

would  have  lasted.  Doubtless  that  is  what  he  said 
to  himself  when,  at  Saint  Helena,  he  impartially  ex- 
amined his  career,  and  he  had  no  angry  thought,  no 
bitter  word,  for  the  woman  who  has  been  so  severely 
judged  by  others. 


XXVI. 

THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD., 

WE  have  just  tried  to  draw  a  picture  of  the 
appearance  and  character  of  Marie  Louise  in 
1812,  when  at  the  summit  of  her  fortune ;  let  us  turn 
our  attention  to  the  organization  of  her  household  at 
this  epoch,  and  to  the  details  of  her  daily  life.  Her 
first  almoner  was  Count  Ferdinand  de  Rohan,  formerly 
Archbishop  of  Cambrai;  her  knight-of-honor  was 
the  Count  of  Beauharnais,  who  had  held  the  same 
position  to  the  Empress  Josephine,  a  relative  of 
his.  Napoleon  had  at  first  meant  to  appoint  the 
Count  of  Narbonne  to  this  place,  but  Marie  Louise 
had  dissuaded  him.  M.  Villemain  says  in  his  Life 
of  M.  de  Narbonne:  "The  Empress  Marie  Louise, 
generally  so  yielding  to  her  husband,  on  this  occa- 
sion manifested  great  opposition.  Whether  through 
womanly  kindness  or  through  her  pride  as  a  sover- 
eign, possibly  through  some  superstitious  scruple  as 
a  second  wife,  she  insisted  on  the  retention  in  this 
post  of  the  Count  of  Beauharnais ;  she  was  unwilling 
on  any  terms  to  seem  to  exclude,  in  the  person  of  this 
relative  of  Josephine,  the  first  name  of  the  Princess 
whom  she  succeeded  on  the  French  throne.  On  the 

320 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  321 

other  hand,  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that  in  the  dashing 
and  attractive  Count  of  Narbonne  she  was  willing  to 
keep  away  certain  things  which  were  unfamiliar  and 
so  alarming  to  her,  such  as  the  lighter  graces,  the 
jesting  spirit  of  the  old  court,  and  doubtless  too  the 
melancholy  presentiments  attached,  in  her  mind,  to 
everything  that  recalled  Versailles  and  the  daughters 
of  Louis  XV.,  who  had  become  the  aunts  of  Marie 
Antoinette.  In  a  word,  Marie  Louise,  cold  and  calm, 
was  inflexible  in  her  opposition  to  the  choice  which 
the  Emperor  announced  to  her.  He  at  once  yielded 
the  point,  and  smoothed  matters  over  by  appointing 
M.  de  Narbonne  one  of  his  aides,  an  odd  favor  for  a 
man  fifty-five  years  old,  a  relic  of  the  former  court, 
suddenly  made  a  member  of  the  most  warlike  and 
most  active  staff  in  Europe."  For  first  equerry 
Marie  Louise  had  Prince  Aldobrandini,  and  for  mas- 
ter of  ceremonies,  the  Count  de  Seyssel  d'Aix. 

The  maid-of-honor  was  Madame  Lannes,  Duchess 
of  Montebello,  the  widow  of  the  famous  marshal 
who  was  killed  in  Austria  in  the  first  war.  Me"neval 
tells  us  that  Napoleon  in  making  this  appointment 
hesitated  between  this  lady  and  the  Princess  of  Beau- 
vau.  "  The  fear  of  introducing  into  his  court  influ- 
ences hostile  to  the  national  ideas,  such  as  a  German 
princess  might  have  favored,  with  the  prejudices  of 
her  birth  and  position,  made  him  give  up  this  idea, 
He  decided  for  the  Duchess,  thinking  this  an  honor 
due  to  the  memory  of  one  of  his  oldest  and  bravest 
comrades." 


322  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE, 

It  was  a  most  happy  choice.  Madame  de  Monte- 
bello  was  ten  years  older  than  the  Empress;  very 
handsome,  stately,  above  reproach,  of  whom  the 
Emperor  said  when  he  appointed  her,  "I  give  the 
Empress  a  real  lady-of-honor." 

In  the  purity  of  her  features,  the  Duchess  of  Monte- 
bello  recalled  Raphael's  Virgins.  There  was  in  her 
appearance,  and  in  her  life,  a  quality  of  calmness,  of 
regularity,  which  greatly  pleased  Marie  Louise,  who 
was  also  much  touched  by  her  untiring  devotion  at 
the  time  of  her  child's  birth,  when  for  nine  whole 
days  Madame  de  Montebello  remained  in  the  Em- 
press's room,  sleeping  at  night  on  a  sofa,  and  the 
Empress  was  grateful  to  her  for  having  rigorously 
performed  what  could  be  demanded  only  of  affection 
or  devotion. 

Madame  Durand  says  that  Marie  Louise  felt  the 
need  of  a  friend,  and  that  the  Duchess  won  her  con- 
fidence and  good  graces  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
Empress  could  not  do  without  her ;  she  got  to  love 
her  like  a  sister,  and  tried  to  prove  her  affection  by 
great  confidence  to  her  and  to  her  children.  She  was 
always  delighted  to  choose  presents  that  the  Duch- 
ess would  like,  and  offered  them  to  her  with  charm- 
ing amiability.  Naturally  a  preference  of  this  sort 
aroused  a  great  deal  of  jealousy,  especially  among 
the  ladies  of  the  palace,  most  of  whom  belonged  to 
older  families  than  did  the  Duchess,  and  were  some- 
what annoyed  that  she  was  preferred  to  them.  When- 
ever the  Emperor  was  away,  Madame  de  Montebello 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  323 

used  to  stay  with  the  Empress,  and  every  morning 
Marie  Louise  used  to  go  to  her  room  to  chat  with 
her,  and  in  order  to  avoid  passing  through  the  draw- 
ing-room, where  the  other  ladies  had  assembled,  she 
used  to  go  through  a  dark  passage,  which  greatly 
offended  these  ladies.  According  to  Madame  Du- 
rand,  Madame  de  Montebello  scorned  to  hide  her  real 
opinions  about  any  one  of  whom  she  was  talking,  and 
gave  her  opinion  clearly  and  frankly.  This  openness 
—  a  virtue  rare  in  courts  —  inspired  the  Empress's 
confidence,  but  earned  her  many  enemies ;  but  they,  in 
spite  of  their  ill-will,  could  not  injure  her  reputation. 
The  lady  of  the  bedchamber  to  the  Empress  was 
the  Countess  of  Lu^ay,  who  had  been  a  lady-in- 
waiting  since  the  beginning  of  the  Consulate.  She 
was  a  gentle,  modest,  distinctly  virtuous  person,  who 
enjoyed  general  esteem  and  sympathy.  The  Emperor 
set  great  store  by  her.  "  In  private  life,"  says  Gen- 
eral de  Se*gur,  "  Napoleon  was  gentle  and  confiding, 
and  especially  fond  of  honorable  people,  whose  deli- 
cacy and  uprightness  were  above  suspicion,  and  of 
women  of  the  best  reputation ;  he  was  a  good  judge, 
and  he  demanded  a  great  deal.  This  was  undeniably 
true,  and  the  exceptions  were  very  few :  the  way 
he  chose  his  council  and  the  officers  attached  to  his 
person,  shows  it.  In  corroboration  I  will  quote  first 
the  Grand  Marshal  Duroc  with  all  the  household  of 
the  palace,  whose  affairs  were  managed  more  hon- 
estly and  better  than  those  of  any  private  house  that 
can  be  named.  As  to  the  ladies  of  the  court,  it  will 


324  THE  EMPBESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

be  enough  to  name  Madame  de  Lu9ay,  my  mother- 
in-law,  the  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber,  and  Madame 
de  Montesquieu,  governess  of  the  King  of  Rome, 
whom  the  Emperor  chose  when  my  mother  declined 
the  position  from  ill-health.  His  confidence,  when 
once  given,  was  unlimited." 

The  Countess  of  Montesquieu,  the  governess  of 
the  King  of  Rome,  was  the  wife  of  the  Emperor's 
Grand  Chamberlain.  The  Baron  de  Me*neval  thus 
speaks  of  her :  "  Madame  de  Montesquieu,  who  was 
of  high  birth,  received  the  highest  consideration  and 
thoroughly  deserved  it.  She  was  forty-six  years 
old  when  she  was  appointed  governess  of  the  Impe- 
rial children ;  her  reputation  was  above  reproach. 
She  was  a  woman  of  great  piety,  yet  indifferent  to 
petty  formalities ;  her  manners  had  a  noble  simplicity, 
her  whole  nature  was  dignified  but  benevolent,  her 
character  was  firm,  and  her  principles  were  excellent. 
She  combined  all  the  qualities  that  were  required 
for  the  important  position  which  the  Emperor,  of 
his  own  choice,  had  given  her."  Madame  Durand 
speaks  as  warmly  about  the  Countess  of  Montes- 
quiou :  "  It  would  have  been  hard  to  make  a  better 
choice.  This  lady,  who  belonged  to  an  illustrious 
family,  had  received  an  excellent  education ;  to  the 
manners  of  the  best  society  she  added  a  piety  too 
firmly  fixed  and  too  wise  to  run  into  bigotry.  Her 
life  had  been  so  well  ordered  that  she  escaped  any 
breath  of  calumny.  Some  were  inclined  to  call  her 
haughty,  but  this  haughtiness  was  tempered  by 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  325 

politeness  and  the  most  gracious  consideration  for 
others.  She  took  the  most  tender  and  constant  care 
of  the  young  Prince,  and  there  could  be  nothing 
nobler  and  more  generous  than  the  devotion  which 
led  her  later  to  leave  the  country  and  her  friends, 
to  follow  the  lot  of  this  young  Prince  whose  hopes 
had  been  destroyed.  Her  sole  reward  was  bitter 
sorrow  and  unjust  persecution. 

"  The  Duchess  of  Montebello  and  the  Countess  of 
Montesquieu  had  little  sympathy  for  each  other,  but 
they  never  betrayed  any  coolness.  Even  had  they 
desired  it,  they  would  have  been  held  in  awe  by  fear 
of  Napoleon,  who  insisted  on  harmony  in  his  court. 
Still,  there  could  be  distinguished  at  the  Tuileries 
two  parties  in  occult  opposition,  belonging  respec- 
tively to  the  old  and  to  the  new  nobility.  At  the 
head  of  the  first  stood  the  Count  and  the  Countess  of 
Montesquieu ;  of  the  second,  the  Duchess  of  Monte- 
bello, to  whom  the  Empress's  preference  gave  great 
authority.  Madame  Durand  says  that  all  the  influ- 
ence which  the  Grand  Chamberlain  and  his  wife, 
the  governess  of  the  King  of  Rome,  enjoyed  was 
exercised  in  obtaining  pardon,  favors,  pensions,  and 
places  for  the  nobles,  whether  they  had  left  France 
or  not ;  they  assured  the  Emperor  that  this  was  the 
best  way  of  attaching  them  to  his  person,  of  making 
them  love  his  government.  They  said  this  because 
they  really  thought  it ;  and  since  they  believed  that 
the  destiny  of  France  was  firmly  fixed,  they  were 
anxious  to  secure  for  the  ruler  of  this  Empire  those 


326  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

men  whom  they  regarded  as  its  strongest  support. 
Since  he  had  seen  Madame  de  Montesquiou's  unweary- 
ing devotion  to  his  son,  it  was  seldom  that  he  refused 
her  whatever  she  asked." 

The  new  nobility,  which  was  jealous  of  the  old, 
had  a  representative  in  the  Duchess  of  Montebello, 
who  was  very  proud,  and  did  not  admit  the  superi- 
ority of  the  old  aristocracy  to  the  illustrious  plebeians, 
who,  like  her  husband,  had  no  ancestors,  but  were 
destined  to  become  ancestors  themselves.  She 
thought  that  the  title  of  Duke  was  not  enough  for 
her  valiant  husband,  and  that  the  Emperor,  in  not 
making  him  a  prince  like  Davout,  Masse*na,  and 
Berthier,  had  been  unjust,  and  that  Marshal  Lannes 
was  of  more  account  than  all  the  dukes  and  mar- 
quises of  the  Versailles  court. 

There  was  at  court,  between  these  two  groups  of 
the  old  and  the  new  nobility,  a  third  party,  the  mili- 
tary party,  headed  by  the  Grand  Marshal  of  the 
Palace,  Duroc,  Duke  of  Frioul,  who,  seeing  honor 
and  glory  only  in  the  career  of  a  soldier,  looked 
down  on  all  other  occupations.  The  Emperor  se- 
cretly favored  him,  but  he  nevertheless  remained 
true  to  his  usual  system  of  neutralizing  all  opinions, 
by  trying  to  balance  their  forces.  Each  one  of  the 
three  rival  parties  kept  an  eye  on  the  other  two,  and 
thus  everything  of  interest  came  to  the  Emperor's 
aars. 

In  1812,  the  ladies-in-waiting  were  the  Duchess  of 
Bassano.  the  Countess  Victor  de  Mortemart,  the 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  327 

Duchess  of  Rovigo,  the  Countesses  of  Montmorency, 
Talhouet,  Law  de  Lauriston,  Duchdtel,  of  Bouille*, 
Montalivet,  Perron,  Lascaris  Vintimiglia,  Brignole, 
Gentile,  Canisy,  the  Princess  Aldobrandini,  the 
Duchesses  of  Dalberg,  Elchingen,  Bellune,  Coun- 
tesses Edmond  de  Pe'rigord  and  of  Beauvau,  Mes- 
dames  de  Trasignies,  Vilain  XIV.,  Antinori,  Rin- 
uccini,  Pandolfini  Capone,  and  the  Countesses  Chigi 
and  Bonacorsi.  They  accompanied  the  Empress  in 
her  walks  and  drives  and  at  the  theatre.  They 
were  real  women-chamberlains,  always  at  her  side 
when  she  appeared  in  public,  but  they  had  no  part  in 
her  domestic  life  and  did  not  reside  in  the  Imperial 
palaces.  This  privilege  belonged  to  only  six  other 
women,  who  occupied  a  humbler  position  in  the  court 
hierarchy,  but  yet  saw  much  more  of  the  Empress. 

In  her  time  Josephine  had  four  other  ladies  who 
held  a  position  of  something  like  female  ushers,  and 
whose  duty  it  was  to  announce  the  persons  who  came 
to  her  apartments.  These  four  ladies  had  numerous 
squabbles  with  the  ladies-in-waiting  over  points  in 
etiquette  ;  and  Napoleon,  to  put  a  stop  to  these  heart- 
burnings, decided  to  substitute  for  them  four  new 
ladies,  who  should  be  chosen  from  those  who  had 
charge  of  Madame  Campan's  school  at  Ecouen  for  the 
daughters  of  members  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 

Among  those  thus  appointed  was  the  widow  of  a 
general,  Madame  Durand,  whose  curious  Memoirs  we 
have  often  consulted.  Some  months  later  the  Em- 
peror raised  their  number  to  six,  and  appointed  two 


328  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

of  the  pupils  of  this  school,  a  daughter  and  a  sister 
of  distinguished  officers,  Mesdemoiselles  Malerot  and 
Rabusson. 

These  six  ladies  had  an  important  position.  Not 
only  did  they  announce  all  the  Empress's  visitors; 
they  also  had  actual  charge  of  the  domestic  service, 
with  six  chambermaids  under  their  orders,  who  only 
entered  the  Empress's  rooms  when  she  rang  for  them, 
while  they,  four,  being  in  attendance  every  day,  spent 
all  their  time  with  Marie  Louise.  They  went  to  the 
Empress  as  soon  as  she  was  up,  and  did  not  leave  her 
till  she  had  gone  to  bed.  Then  all  the  doors  of  the 
Empress's  room  were  locked,  except  one,  leading  into 
the  next  room,  where  slept  the  one  of  the  ladies 
in  charge,  and  Napoleon  himself  could  not  go  into 
Marie  Louise's  room  at  night  without  passing  through 
this  room.  No  man,  with  the  exception  of  the  Em- 
press's private  secretary,  her  keeper  of  the  purse,  and 
her  medical  attendants,  could  enter  her  apartment 
without  an  order  from  the  Emperor.  Even  ladies, 
other  than  the  Lady  of  Honor  and  the  Lady  of  the 
Bedchamber,  were  not  received  there  except  by  ap- 
pointment. The  six  ladies  we  have  mentioned  had 
charge  of  the  enforcement  of  these  rules,  and  were 
responsible  for  their  observance.  One  of  them  was 
present  at  the  Empress's  drawing,  music,  and  em- 
broidery lessons.  They  wrote  at  her  dictation,  or 
under  her  orders.  The  same  etiquette  prevailed 
when  the  court  was  on  its  travels.  Always  one  of 
these  six  ladies  slept  in  the  next  room  to  the 


TJIE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  329 

Empress,  and  that  was  the  only  approach  to  her 
chamber. 

Madame  Durand  tells  us  the  goldsmith  Biennais 
had  made  for  the  Empress  a  letter-case  with  a  good 
many  secret  drawers  which  she  alone  could  know, 
and  he  asked  to  be  allowed  to  explain  it  to  her. 
Marie  Louise  spoke  about  it  to  the  Emperor,  who 
gave  her  permission  to  receive  him.  Biennais  was 
consequently  summoned  to  Saint  Cloud  and  admitted 
into  the  music-room,  where  he  stood  at  one  end  with 
the  Empress,  while  Madame  Durand  was  in  the  same 
room,  but  so  far  off  that  she  could  not  overhear  his 
explanation.  Just  when  this  was  finished  the  Em- 
peror came  in,  and  seeing  Biennais,  he  asked  who 
that  man  was ;  the  Empress  hastened  to  tell  him,  to 
explain  the  reason  of  his  coming,  mentioning  that  he 
had  himself  given  him  permission.  This  the  Em- 
peror absolutely  denied,  and  pretended  that  the  lady- 
in-waiting  was  to  blame ;  he  scolded  her  so  severely 
that  the  Empress  could  scarcely  stop  him,  although 
she  said,  "  But,  my  dear,  it  is  I  who  ordered  Biennais 
to  come."  The  Emperor  laughed,  and  told  her  that 
she  had  nothing  to  do  about  it ;  that  the  lady  was 
responsible  for  every  one  she  admitted,  and  was  alone 
to  blame ;  and  that  he  hoped  th?f.  nothing  of  the  sort 
would  ever  happen  again. 

Another  time,  when  M.  Paer  was  giving  Marie 
Louise  a  music-lesson,  the  lady,  who  was  present  as 
usual  at  the  lesson,  had  an  order  to  give.  She 
opened  the  door  and  was  leaning  half  out  to  give  the 


330  THE  EMPRESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

order,  when  Napoleon  came  in.  At  first  he  did  not 
see  her,  and  thought  she  was  not  present.  The 
music-master  went  out.  "  Where  were  you  whea  I 
came  in  ?  "  the  Emperor  asked.  She  called  his  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  she  had  not  left  the  room.  He 
refused  to  believe  her,  and  gave  her  a  long  sermon  in 
the  course  of  which  he  said  that  he  was  unwilling  that 
any  man,  no  matter  what  his  rank,  should  be  able  to 
flatter  himself  that  he  had  been  two  seconds  alone 
with  the  Empress.  He  added  with  some  warmth: 
"  Madame,  I  honor  and  respect  the  Empress  ;  but  the 
sovereign  of  a  great  empire  must  be  placed  above 
any  breath  of  suspicion." 

The  gynaeceum  of  Marie  Louise  was  thus  guarded 
with  the  greatest  care  and  submitted  to  a  very  severe 
discipline.  Napoleon  entered  freely  into  his  wife's 
room  whenever  he  pleased,  and  she  never  complained; 
for  having  absolutely  nothing  to  conceal  from  him, 
she  had  no  desire  to  be  unfaithful  to  him  even  in  her 
thoughts. 

Madame  Durand  tells  us  that  the  Emperor,  who 
desired  to  rule  in  important  matters,  endured,  and 
even  liked  to  be  contradicted  on  minor  matters. 
**  When  he  was  with  Marie  Louise,  he  used  to  be  for- 
ever teasing  her  ladies  about  a  thousand  things ;  it 
often  happened  that  they  stood  up  against  him,  and 
he  would  carry  on  the  discussion  and  laugh  heartily 
when  he  had  succeeded  in  vexing  the  young  girls, 
who,  in  their  frankness  and  ignorance  of  the  ways  of 
the  world  and  the  court,  made  very  lively  and  un- 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  331 

affected  answers  which  were  amusing  for  those  to 
whom  they  were  addressed." 

The  nearness  of  these  six  ladies  to  the  Empress 
aroused  much  jealousy.  The  name  by  which  they 
were  to  be  called  was  often  changed.  For  some  time 
they  were  allowed  to  call  themselves  First  Ladies  of 
the  Empress ;  but  this  title  offended  the  ladies  of  the 
palace,  who  wanted  to  call  them  First  Chambermaids, 
which  made  them  very  angry.  The  Emperor  at  last 
gave  them  the  name  of  Lectrices.  They  had  under 
them  six  ordinary  chambermaids  who  had  no  position 
in  the  court ;  these  dressed  the  Empress,  put  on  her 
shoes  and  stockings,  and  did  her  hair  every  morning; 
they  were,  in  fact,  chambermaids. 

This  is  the  way  in  which  Marie  Louise  p&ssed  the  day : 
At  eight  in  the  morning  her  window  shutters  were 
thrown  open,  and  the  curtains  of  her  bed  pushed  back. 
The  newspapers  were  brought  to  her,  and  she  took  her 
first  breakfast  in  bed.  At  nine  she  dressed,  and  re- 
ceived intimate  friends.  At  twelve  she  ate  her  second 
breakfast.  Then  she  would  practise  a  little,  or  draw, 
or  sew,  or  play  billiards.  At  two,  if  the  weather  was 
pleasant,  she  would  drive  out  with  the  Duchess  of 
Montebello,  the  Knight  of  Honor,  and  two  ladies-in- 
waiting.  Sometimes  she  rode  on  horseback ;  it  was 
Napoleon  who  had  given  her  lessons  at  Saint  Cloud. 
"  He  used  to  walk  by  her  side,  holding  her  hand, 
while  an  equerry  led  the  horse  by  the  bridle ;  he 
allayed  her  fear  and  encouraged  her.  She  profited 
by  her  lessons,  became  bolder,  and  at  last  rode  very 


332  THE  EMPRESS  MABIE  LOUISE. 

well.  When  she  did  credit  to  her  teacher,  the  lessons 
went  on,  sometimes  in  the  avenues  of  the  private 
park  just  outside  of  the  family  drawing-room,  so 
called  because  it  was  adorned  with  portraits  of  the 
Imperial  family.  When  the  Emperor  had  a  moment's 
leisure  after  breakfast,  he  used  to  have  the  horses 
brought  around,  would  get  on  one  himself  in  his  silk 
stockings  and  silver-buckled  shoes,  and  ride  by  the 
Empress's  side.  He  would  urge  her  horse  on,  get  it 
to  gallop,  laughing  heartily  at  her  terrified  cries, 
although  all  danger  was  guarded  against  by  the  pres- 
ence of  a  line  of  huntsmen  ready  to  stop  the  horse 
and  prevent  a  fall." 

On  returning,  Marie  Louise  often  took  a  lesson  in 
music  or  painting.  She  was  a  real  musician,  and  had 
a  real  talent  for  the  piano.  -Prudhon  and  Isabey, 
who  taught  her  drawing  and  painting,  praised  her 
talents.  As  Lamartine  says:  "When  she  entered 
her  own  rooms  or  the  solitude  of  the  gardens,  she 
was  once  more  a  German  woman.  She  cultivated 
poetry,  drawing,  singing.  Education  had  perfected 
these  talents  in  her,  as  if  to  console  her,  far  from  her 
country,  for  the  absence  and  the  sorrows  to  which  the 
young  girl  would  be  one  day  condemned.  She  ex- 
celled in  these  things,  but  for  herself  alone.  She 
used  to  read  and  recite  from  memory  the  poets  of  her 
own  language  and  country."  Marie  Louise  busied 
herself  with  charities,  but  without  ostentation,  al- 
most secretly ;  hence  she  never  won  the  credit  for  it 
that  she  deserved.  Her  generosity  did  not  limit  it- 


THE  Elf  PRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  333 

self  to  the  ten  thousand  francs  which  she  set  aside 
out  of  her  allowance  of  fifty  thousand  f rancs  a  month ; 
she  never  heard  of  a  case  of  suffering  without  at 
jonce  trying  to  relieve  it. 

In  private  life  Marie  Louise  was  kind  and  amiable. 
She  was  very  polite  and  gentle ;  unlike  many  prin- 
cesses, she  was  not  given  to  fickle  preferences  and  to 
infatuations  as  intense  ,as  they  were  brief ;  she  was 
not  unjust,  violent,  or  capricious.  She  was  never 
angry;  she  did  not  give  empty  promises,  or  affect 
any  excessive  interest,  but  she  could  always  be  de- 
pended on;  she  never  distressed  or  humiliated  any 
one.  Having  been  trained  from  her  infancy  to  court 
life,  she  was  a  kind  mistress,  for  she  had  learned  to 
combine  two  qualities  that  are  often  irreconcilable  — 
dignity  and  gentleness  All  who  were  thrown  into 
her  society  agree  in  this.  Sometimes,  according  to 
Madame  Durand,  when  she  was  in  company  her  face 
had  a  melancholy  expression  inspired  by  the  demands 
of  etiquette  that  were  made  upon  her ;  but  "  when  she 
had  returned  to  her  own  quarters,  she  was  gentle, 
merry,  affable,  and  adored  by  all  who  were  with 
her  every  day.  .  .  .  Nothing  was  more  gracious,  more 
amiable,  than  her  face  when  she  was  at  her  ease, 
quietly  at  home  in  the  evening,  or  among  those  to 
whom  she  was  particularly  attached." 

Marie  Louise  gave  a  great  deal  of  care  to  her  son, 
whom  she  tenderly  loved.  She  had  him  brought  to 
her  every  morning,  and  she  kept  him  with  her  until 
she  had  to  dress.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  in  the 


334  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

intervals  of  her  lessons,  she  used  to  visit  the  little 
King  in  his  apartment,  and  sit  by  his  side  and  sew. 
Often  she  took  him  and  his  nurse  to  the  Emperor; 
the  nurse  would  stop  at  the  door  of  the  room  in 
which  Napoleon  was,  and  Marie  Louise  would  enter, 
with  the  child  in  her  arms,  always  afraid  that  she 
was  going  to  drop  him.  Then  the  Emperor  would 
run  up,  take  the  child,  and  cover  him  with  kisses. 

The  Baron  de  Meneval  writes  thus :  "  Sometimes  he 
was  seated  on  his  favorite  sofa,  near  the  mantel-piece, 
on  which  stood  two  magnificent  bronze  busts,  of 
Scipio  and  Hannibal,  and  was  busily  reading  an  im- 
portant report;  sometimes  he  went  to  his  writing- 
desk,  hollowed  in  the  middle,  with  two  projecting 
shelves,  covered  with  papers,  to  sign  a  despatch, 
every  word  of  which  had  to  be  carefully  weighed,' 
but  his  son,  sitting  on  his  knees,  or  held  close  to  his 
chest,  never  left  him.  He  had  such  a  marvellous 
power  of  concentration  that  he  could  at  the  same 
time  give  his  attention  to  important  business  and 
humor  his  son.  Again,  laying  aside  the  great 
thoughts  which  haunted  his  mind,  he  would  lie 
down  on  the  floor  by  the  boy's  side,  and  play  with 
him  like  another  child,  eager  to  amuse  him  and  to 
spare  him  every  annoyance." 

M.  de  Medieval  also  tells  us  that  the  Emperor  had 
had  made  little  blocks  of  mahogany,  of  different  lengths 
and  various  colors,  with  one  end  notched,  to  repre- 
sent battalions,  regiments,  and  divisions,  and  that  when 
he  wanted  to  try  some  new  combination  of  troops,  he 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  335 

used  to  set  out  these  blocks  on  the  floor.  "  Sometimes," 
adds  M.  de  Me'neval,  "  we  used  to  find  him  seriously 
occupied  in  arranging  these  blocks,  rehearsing  one  of 
the  able  manoeuvres  with  which  he  triumphed  on  the 
battle-field.  The  boy,  seated  at  his  side,  delighted  by 
the  shape  and  color  of  the  blocks,  which  reminded 
him  of  his  toys,  would  stretch  out  his  hand  every 
minute  and  disturb  the  order  of  battle,  often  at  the 
decisive  moment,  just  when  the  enemy  was  about  to 
be  beaten ;  but  the  Emperor  was  so  cool  and  so  consid- 
erate of  his  son,  that  he  was  not  disturbed  by  the  con- 
fusion introduced  into  his  manoeuvres,  but  he  would 
begin  again,  without  annoyance,  to  arrange  the  blocks. 
His  patience  and  his  kindness  to  the  boy  were  inex- 
haustible." 

Napoleon  was  also  very  kind  to  Marie  i^ouise.  He 
did  everything  that  he  could  to  make  his  wife  happy 
and  respected.  He  arranged  matters  in  such  a  way 
that  etiquette  should  not  interfere  with  her  favorite 
occupations.  She  dined  alone  with  him  every  even- 
ing, and  when  he  was  absent,  she  dined  with  the 
Duchess  of  Montebello.  After  dinner  there  was  gen- 
erally a  small  reception  or  a  little  concert.  At  eleven 
Marie  Louise  withdrew  to  her  own  apartment,  and 
her  life  was  monotonous,  but  agreeable.  She  gener- 
ally spent  the  summer  at  Saint  Cloud  and  the  winter 
at  the  Tuileries.  At  Saint  Cloud,  where  the  park 
was  a  great  attraction  to  her,  she  slept  in  a  room  01* 
the  first  floor,  which  had  been  occupied  by  Marie 
Antoinette  and  Josephine.  (In  the  time  of  Napoleon 


336  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

III.  it  was  the  Council  Hall  of  the  Ministers.)  At  the 
Tuileries,  her  rooms  were  on  the  ground  floor,  between 
the  Pavilion  of  the  Clock,  and  that  of  Flora,  and  had 
also  been  occupied  by  the  Queen  and  the  first  Em- 
press. They  looked  out  on  the  garden,  and  consisted 
of  a  gala  apartment  and  a  private  one.  The  first  con- 
sisted of  an  ante-chamber,  a  first  and  second  drawing- 
room,  a  drawing-room  of  the  Empress,  a  dining-room, 
and  a  concert-room ;  the  second,  of  a  bedchamber,  the 
library,  the  dressing-room,  the  boudoir,  and  the  bath- 
room. A  rigid  etiquette  controlled  the  entrance  to 
the  Empress's  as  well  as  the  Emperor's  apartment. 
Napoleon  lived  on  the  first  floor,  where  he  had  the 
bedroom  which  had  been  previously  occupied  by 
Louis  XV.  and  by  Louis  XVI. ;  but  there  was  a  little 
private  staircase,  which  he  used  constantly,  leading 
to  his  wife's  apartment. 

Marie  Louise  was  on  good  terms  with  the  princes 
and  princesses  of  the  Imperial  family,  who  were  less 
offended  by  the  superiority  of  an  archduchess  than 
they  had  been  by  that  of  a  woman  of  humble  origin, 
like  Josephine.  In  accordance  with  her  husband's 
directions,  the  second  Empress  was  always  polite  and 
affable  in  her  relations  with  his  family,  but  she  was 
never  too  familiar.  No  one  of  her  sisters-in-law  was 
as  intimate  with  her  as  was  the  Duchess  of  Monte- 
bello.  One  incident,  for  which  Marie  Louise  was  in 
no  way  responsible,  threw  a  little  coolness  on  her 
relations  with  the  princesses,  although  it  was  of  but 
brief  duration.  Soon  after  the  birth  of  the  King  of 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOUSEHOLD.  337 

Rome  the  Emperor  noticed  that  near  the  bed  on 
which  the  Empress  was  to  lie  there  had  been  placed 
three  armchairs,  —  one  for  his  mother,  the  other  two 
for  the  Queens  of  Spain  and  of  Holland.  He  found 
fault  with  this  arrangement,  saying  that  since  his 
mother  was  not  a  queen,  she  ought  not  to  have  an 
armchair,  and  that  none  of  them  should  have  one. 
Accordingly,  for  the  armchairs  he  had  three  handsome 
footstools  substituted.  When  the  three  ladies  came 
in,  they  noticed,  with  some  annoyance,  the  change 
that  had  been  made,  and  soon  left.  They  would  have 
done  wrong  to  blame  the  Empress ;  for  it  was  the 
Emperor  who  was  responsible,  and  when  Napoleon 
gave  an  order,  no  one,  not  even  his  wife,  could  have 
thought  of  saying  a  word.  In  matters  of  etiquette 
he  controlled  the  minutest  details  and  regarded  them 
as  very  important.  Nothing  came  of  this  little  inci- 
dent, and  in  general  the  members  of  the  Emperor's 
family  got  on  better  with  the  second  Empress  than 
with  the  first. 

In  short,  what  did  Marie  Louise  lack  in  the  begin- 
ning of  1812?  She  had  a  husband,  at  the  height  of 
his  fame  and  glory,  who  gave  her  more  affection, 
regard,  and  consideration  than  any  one  else  in  the 
world.  She  was  the  mother  of  a  superb  child,  whom 
every  one  admired.  Around  her  she  saw  respect  on 
every  face.  For  maid-of-honor  she  had  a  real  friend, 
a  woman  whom  she  would  herself  have  chosen,  so 
highly  did  she  value  her  character  and  manners. 
Her  household  consisted  of  the  flower  of  the  French 


338  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

aristocracy.  She  followed  her  own  tastes,  studied 
with  the  best  masters,  distributed  alms  as  she  pleased, 
lived  in  the  handsomest  palaces  in  Europe.  There 
were  no  discomforts,  no  difficulties,  in  her  position. 
She  had  no  conflicting  duties,  no  occasion  to  decide 
between  her  father  and  her  husband,  between  the 
country  of  her  birth  and  that  of  her  adoption,  none  of 
those  struggles  and  heartrending  perplexities  which 
so  cruelly  beset  her  afterwards.  At  that  time  the 
Emperor  Francis  was  well  contented  with  his  son-in- 
law,  and  corresponded  with  him  in  a  most  friendly 
way.  At  that  happy  moment  the  Frenchwoman  could 
be  an  Austrian  without  injury  to  her  mission  and  her 
duty.  The  path  she  was  to  follow  was  clearly  traced. 
Alas !  it  was  not  for  long  that  she  was  to  enjoy  this 
calm  and  equable  happiness,  so  well  suited  to  her 
timid  nature,  which  was  made  to  obey,  not  to  rule. 
She  had  then  no  cause  to  blame  her  fate  or  herself. 
As  a  young  girl,  as  a  wife,  as  a  mother,  she  had 
nothing  to  ask  for.  Her  satisfaction  was  furthered 
by  the  thought  that  she  was  soon  to  see  again  her 
father,  her  family,  her  country ;  and  apart  from  the 
matter  of  feeling,  she  must  have  been  gratified  by 
the  thought  that  she  was  to  appear  again  in  Austria 
with  a  brilliancy  and  splendor  such  as  no  other  woman 
in  the  world  could  show.  Her  stay  in  Dresden  was 
the  crowning  point  of  her  brief  grandeur,  the  end  of 
the  swift  but  dazzling  period  of  prosperity  and  good 
fortune  which  may  be  described  as  the  happy  days  of 
the  Empress  Marie  Louise. 


XXVII. 

DEESDEN. 

fTlHE  Moniteur  of  May  10,  1812,  contained  the 
JL  following  announcement :  "  Paris,  May  9.  The 
Emperor  left  to-day  to  inspect  the  Grand  Army 
assembled  on  the  Vistula.  Her  Majesty  the  Em- 
press will  accompany  His  Majesty  as  far  as  Dresden, 
where  she  hopes  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her 
august  family.  She  will  return  in  July  at  the  latest. 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  Rome  will  spend  the  sum- 
mer at  Meudon,  where  he  has  been  for  a  month.  He 
has  finished  his  teething,  and  enjoys  perfect  health. 
He  will  be  weaned  at  the  end  of  the  month." 

It  will  be  acknowledged  that  it  was  a  somewhat 
singular  thing  to  announce  thus  in  the  same  article 
the  speedy  weaning  of  a  baby  and  the  beginning  of 
the  most  colossal  campaign  of  modern  times.  Not  a 
word  had  been  said  about  war.  Never  had  the  de- 
parture for  an  army  seemed  more  like  a  pleasure  trip. 
Followed  by  a  great  part  of  his  court,  Napoleon, 
like  a  Darius  or  a  Louis  XIV.,  had  left  Saint  Cloud, 
May  9,  in  the  same  carriage  as  the  Empress.  The 
Republican  general  had  disappeared  before  a  magnifi- 

839 


340  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

cent  monarch  surrounded  by  Asiatic  pomp.  The  pos- 
sibility of  defeat  occurred  to  no  one.  One  would 
have  supposed  that  he  was  starting  on  a  long  ovation, 
a  triumphal  progress. 

At  every  step  the  all-powerful  Emperor  and  his 
young  wife  seemed  to  be  tasting  the  onsets  of  gran- 
deur and  glory.  May  9  he  slept  at  Chalons ;  the  10th 
he  entered  Metz,  where  he  at  once  got  on  horseback, 
reviewed  the  troops,  and  visited  the  fortifications. 
The  llth  he  was  at  Mayence,  where  he  received  the 
Grand  Duke  and  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Hesse  Darm- 
stadt, as  well  as  the  Prince  of  Anhalt-Kothen.  The 
13th  he  crossed  the  Rhine,  stopped  a  moment  to  see 
the  Prince  Primate  at  Aschaffenburg,  met  in  the 
course  of  the  day  the  King  of  Wiirtemberg  and  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Baden,  and  spent  the  night  at  Wiirz- 
burg,  the  sovereign  of  which  was  the  former  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  the  brother  of  the  Emperor  of. 
Austria.  Marie  Louise  was  delighted  to  see  her 
uncle  again,  who  was  to  join  her  at  Dresden.  The 
14th  they  slept  at  Bayreuth,  the  15th  at  Plauen,  and 
on  the  16th  they  reached  Dresden. 

As  Thiers  says,  Napoleon  had  passed  through  Ger- 
many amid  an  unprecedented  throng  of  the  populace, 
whose  curiosity  equalled  their  hatred.  "Never,  in- 
deed, had  the  potentate  whom  they  abhorred-appeared 
more  surrounded  with  glory.  People  talked  with 
mingled  surprise  and  terror  of  the  six  hundred  thou- 
sand men  who  had  gathered  at  his  command  from  all 
parts  of  Europe.  They  ascribed  to  him  plans  far 


DRESDEN.  341 


more  extraordinary  than  those  he  had  formed.  They 
said  he  was  going  by  Russia  to  India.  They  spread 
abroad  a  thousand  fables  far  wilder  than  his  real 
designs,  and  almost  believed  them  accomplished,  so 
much  had  his  continual  success  discouraged  hatred 
from  hoping  for  what  it  desired.  Vast  heaps  of  wood 
were  prepared  along  his  path,  and  at  nightfall  these 
were  set  on  fire  to  light  his  road ;  so  that  what  was 
really  curiosity  produced  almost  the  same  effect  as 
love  and  joy." 

The  Emperor's  intention  in  going  to  Dresden 
was  to  spend  two  or  three  weeks  there  before  tak- 
ing command  of  his  armies,  and  to  dazzle  all  Eu- 
rope by  the  sumptuous  court  which  he  should 
hold  in  the  Saxon  capital.  For  some  weeks  Marie 
Louise  had  been  hoping  to  meet  her  father  at  Dres- 
den, and  the  thought  filled  her  with  joy.  She  had 
written  to  him,  March  15 :  "  The  Emperor  sends  all 
sorts  of  kind  messages  to  you.  He  bids  me  tell  you 
also  that  if  we  have  war,  he  will  take  me  to  Dresden, 
where  I  shall  spend  two  months,  and  where  I  hope 
soon  to  see  you  too.  You  cannot  imagine,  dear 
father,  the  pleasure  I  take  in  this  hope.  I  am  sure 
that  you  will  not  refuse  me  the  great  pleasure  of 
bringing  my  dear  mamma  and  my  brothers  and  sis- 
ters. But  I  beg  of  you,  dear  papa,  don't  say  anything 
about  it,  for  nothing  is  decided."  Marie  Louise  was 
at  the  height  of  happiness  when  she  reached  Saxony. 
At  that  moment  she  was  very  proud  of  being  Napo- 
leon's wife.  She  entered  Dresden  with  him,  May  16, 


342  THE  EMPRESS  NAEIE  LOUISE. 

1812,  at  eleven  in  the  evening,  escorted  by  the  King 
and  Queen  of -Saxony,  who  had  gone  to  Freiberg  to 
meet  them. 

The  next  morning  at  eight,  Napoleon,  who  was 
staying  in  the  grand  apartment  of  the  royal  castle, 
received  the  sovereign  princes  of  Saxe-Coburg,  Saxe- 
Weimar,  and  Dessau,  as  well  as  the  high  officials  of 
the  Saxon  court.  The  King  of  Westphalia  and  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Wiirzburg  arrived  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  and  at  once  presented  their  respects. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  18th  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  Austria  arrived  in  Dresden. 
"  What  a  moment  for  Marie  Louise ! "  writes  Madame 
Durand.  "She  found  herself  once  more  in  her  fa- 
ther's arms,  and  appeared  before  the  dazzled  eyes  of 
her  family,  the  happiest  of  wives,  the  first  of  sover- 
eigns! Her  august  father  could  not  hide  his  emo- 
tion. He  tenderly  kissed  his  son-in-law,  and  recog- 
nizing the  claims  he  had  upon  his  heart,  told  him 
more  than  once  that  he  could  count  on  him  and  on 
Austria  for  the  triumph  of  the  common  cause."  Pos- 
sibly these  assurances  were  not  perfectly  sincere,  but 
Napoleon  believed  in  them,  or  pretended  to  believe 
in  them.  As  for  Marie  Louise,  she  never  interfered 
in  politics,  and  gave  herself  up  to  family  joys. 

The  period  of  Napoleon's  stay  at  Dresden  was  the 
culmination  of  his  power.  Possibly  no  mortal  had 
ever  attained  so  high  a  position  as  this  new  Agamem- 
non. "  It  is  at  Dresden,"  says  Chateaubriand,  "  that 
he  united  the  separate  parts  of  the  Confederation 


DRESDEN.  343 

of  the  Rhine,  and  for  the  first  and  last  time  set  in 
motion  this  machine  of  his  own  creation.  Among 
the  exiled  masterpieces  of  painting  which  sadly 
missed  the  Italian  sun,  there  took  place  the  meeting 
of  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  with  a  crowd  of  sov- 
ereigns, great  and  small.  These  sovereigns  tried  to 
make  out  of  their  different  courts  subordinate  circles 
of  the  first  court,  and  rivalled  with  one  another  in 
vassalage.  One  wanted  to  be  the  cup-bearer  of  the  en- 
sign of  Brienne ;  another,  his  butler.  Charlemagne's 
history  was  put  under  contribution  by  the  erudition 
of  the  German  chancellor's  officers.  The  higher 
they  were,  the  more  eager  their  demands.  As  Bona- 
parte said  in  Las  Cases,  a  lady  of  the  Montmorencys 
would  have  hastened  to  undo  the  Empress's  shoes." 
The  monarchs  were  more  like  Napoleon's  courtiers 
than  his  equals.  Princes  and  private  citizens,  rich 
and  poor,  nobles  and  plebeians,  friends  and  enemies, 
crowded  to  get  a  look  at  him.  Night  and  day  there 
was  an  immense  throng  gazing  at  the  doors  and  win- 
dows of  the  palace  in  which  lodged  the  predestined 
being,  in  hope  of  being  able  to  say,  "I  have  seen 
him."  The  French  waited  on  him  with  idolatry. 
The  Germans  had  a  complex  feeling  about  him,  in 
which  admiration  was  stronger  than  hate. 

General  de  Se*gur,  who  was  at  Dresden  with  Na- 
poleon, represents  him  as  moderate  and  even  eager 
to  please,  but  with  visible  effort  and  manifestations 
of  the  fatigue  which  he  experienced.  As  to  the  Ger- 
man princes,  their  attitude,  their  words,  even  the 


344  THE.  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

tone  of  their  voice,  showed  the  ascendancy  he  exer- 
cised over  them.  They  were  all  there  solely  on  his 
account.  They  scarcely  ventured  to  discuss  any- 
thing, being  always  ready  to  recognize  his  superiority 
of  which  he  was  himself  only  too  conscious.  "  His 
reception,"  adds  the  General,  "presented  a  remark- 
able sight.  Sovereign  princes  nocked  thither  to  await 
an  audience  of  the  Conqueror  of  Europe ;  they  so 
crowded  his  officers,  that  these  last  often  had  to  re- 
mind one  another  to  take  care  not  to  offend  these 
new  courtiers  who  were  crowding  among  them.  Na- 
poleon's presence  thus  removed  the  differences,  for 
he  was  as  much  their  chief  as  he  was  ours.  This 
common  dependence  seemed  to  level  everything  about 
him.  Then  possibly  the  ill-concealed  military  pride 
of  many  French  generals  offended  these  princes, 
when  the  former  seemed  to  think  that  they  were 
elevated  to  royal  rank ;  for  whatever  the  dignity 
and  position  of  the  conquered,  the  conqueror  is  his 
equal." 

May  18,  the  day  of  the  arrival  of  the  Emperor  and 
the  Empress  of  Austria,  it  was  the  King  of  Saxony 
who  gave  a  dinner  to  his  guests;  but  on  the  other 
days  it  was  Napoleon  who  assumed  the  duties  of 
hospitality,  as  if  he  had  been  at  home  in  Dresden. 
He  wanted  to  receive,  not  to  be  received.  The 
sovereigns  ate  at  his  table,  and  it  was  he  who  fixed 
the  hours  and  all  the  details  of  etiquette.  Since  he 
was  unwilling  that  his  stay  should  inconvenience 
the  King  of  Saxony,  who  was  not  rich,  he  was  pre- 


DRESDEN.  345 

ceded  and  followed  by  his  household,  which  was 
supplied  with  everything  necessary  for  a  magnificent 
representation.  Part  of  the  handsome  vermilion  table 
service  presented  to  him  by  the  city  of  Paris,  on  the 
occasion  of  his  marriage,  had  been  carried  to  Dresden, 
and  there  was  all  the  luxury  of  the  Tuileries. 

At  Saint  Helena  the  beaten  conqueror  recalled  the 
memory  of  his  past  splendors  with  a  certain  satisfac- 
tion. "The  interview  at  Dresden,"  he  said  in  his 
Memorial,  "was  the  moment  of  Napoleon's  highest 
power.  Then  he  appeared  as  the  king  of  kings.  He 
was  compelled  to  point  out  that  some  attention  should 
be  paid  to  his  father-in-law,  the  Emperor  of  Austria. 
Neither  this  monarch  nor  the  King  of  Prussia  had  his 
household  with  him ;  nor  did  Alexander  at  Tilsit  or 
Erfurt.  There,  as  at  Dresden,  they  ate  at  Napoleon's 
table.  These  courts,  the  Emperor  used  to  say,  were 
mean  and  middle-class;  it  was  he  who  arranged 
the  etiquette  and  set  the  tone.  He  invited  Francis 
to  visit  him  and  dazzled  him  with  his  splendor. 
Napoleon's  luxury  and  magnificence  must  have  made 
him  seem  like  an  Asiatic  satrap.  There,  as  at  Tilsit, 
he  covered  with  diamonds  every  one  who  came  near 
him."  He  had  brought  after  him  the  best  actors  of 
the  Theatre  Fra^ais,  and,  as  at  Erfurt,  Talma  played 
before  a  pit  full  of  kings. 

What  were  the  real  feelings  of  these  princes,  who 
were  so  obsequious  to  Napoleon?  The  King  of 
Saxony,  the  patriarch  of  these  monarchs,  was  a  frank, 
loyal  man,  of  a  keen  sense  of  honor,  and  he  was 


346  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

thoroughly  sincere  in  the  devotion  he  professed  to 
the  Emperor,  to  whom  he  thought  he  owed  a  great 
debt.  Napoleon,  who  was  very  fond  of  this  king, 
would  have  no  other  guards  at  Dresden  than  the 
Saxon  soldiers.  Even  after  Leipsic  he  retained  a 
pleasant  memory  of  them,  and  at  Saint  Helena  he 
said  to  those  who  charged  him  with  excessive  confi- 
dence in  them,  "  I  was  then  in  so  kind  a  family,  with 
such  good  people,  that  there  was  no  risk ;  every  one 
loved  me,  and  even  now  I  am  sure  that  the  King  of 
Saxony  says  every  day  a  Pater  and  an  Ave  for  me." 

Unlike  the  Saxon  king,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  in 
spite  of  the  family  ties,  had  but  very  moderate  affec- 
tion for  Napoleon.  Metternich,  who  was  at  Dresden, 
says  in  his  Memoirs,  "The  attitude  of  the  two 
sovereigns  was  such  as  their  respective  positions 
demanded,  but  was  yet  very  cool."  Thiers  describes 
the  Emperor  Francis  as  opening  his  arms  almost 
sincerely  to  his  son-in-law,  displaying  a  sort  of  incon- 
sistency, which  is  more  frequent  than  is  generally 
imagined,  torn  between  delight  at  seeing  his  daughter 
so  exalted  and  pain  at  Austria's  losses;  promising 
Napoleon  his  assistance  after  having  promised  Alex- 
ander that  this  assistance  would  be  nothing,  saying  to 
himself  that  after  all  he  had  adopted  a  wise  course, 
by  making  himself  sure  whichever  party  should  be 
victorious,  yet  with  more  confidence  in  Napoleon's 
success,  from  which  he  sought  to  get  profit  in  advance. 

As  to  the  Empress  of  Austria,  the  step-mother  of 
Marie  Louise,  she  concealed  beneath  formality  and 


DRESDEN.  347 


perfect  politeness  a  profound  antipathy  to  the  con- 
queror. It  required  almost  a  formal  order  from  her 
husband  to  bring  her  to  Dresden.  She  was  then  a 
pretty  woman,  twenty-four  years  old,  witty,  and  proud 
of  her  birth  and  her  crown.  Napoleon  she  looked 
on  as  an  upstart,  a  vainglorious  adventurer,  the  cause 
of  all  the  humiliations  inflicted  on  the  Austrian  mon- 
archy ;  and  the  splendor  which  surrounded  the  hero 
of  Marengo,  of  Austerlitz,  of  Wagram,  aroused  in  her 
a  resentment  all  the  keener  because  she  was  compelled 
to  hide  it.  Napoleon  in  his  pique  determined  to  win 
over  the  step-mother  of  Marie  Louise. 

The  health  of  the  Empress  of  Austria  was  so  deli- 
cate that  she  was  unable  to  walk  through  the  long 
row  of  rooms.  Consequently  Napoleon  used  to  walk 
in  front  of  her,  one  hand  holding  his  hat,  while  the 
other  rested  on  the  door  of  her  sedan-chair,  talking 
in  the  liveliest  way  with  his  witty  enemy.  General 
de  Se*gur,  like  every  one  else,  noticed  the  hostility 
which  the  Empress  in  vain  tried  to  conceal.  "  The 
Empress  of  Austria,"  he  says,  "whose  parents  had 
been  dispossessed  by  Napoleon  in  Italy,  was  notice- 
able for  her  aversion  which  she  vainly  essayed  to 
hide;  it  made  itself  at  once  manifest  to  Napoleon, 
and  he  met  it  with  a  smiling  face ;  but  she  made  use 
of  her  intelligence  and  charm  to  win  over  hearts  and 
to  sow  the  seeds  of  hate  of  him." 

In  fact,  the  Empress  of  Austria  was  jealous  of  the 
Empress  of  the  French.  She  distinctly  recalled  the 
time  when  she  used  to  have  her  under  her  control, 


348  THE  EMPEESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

and  she  was  annoyed  to  see  her  former  pupil  taking 
precedence  of  every  queen  and  empress.  She  would 
have  liked  to  be  able  to  give  her  advice,  as  she  had 
done  in  the  past,  and  to  exercise  her  authority  as 
step-mother  in  criticising  her ;  but  she  did  not  dare  to 
do  this,  and  the  restraint  was  not  agreeable.  The 
careful  observer  finds  life  in  a  palace  what  it  is  in  the 
house  of  a  humble  citizen.  As  La  Bruye"re  has  said: 
"  At  court,  as  in  the  town,  there  are  the  same  pas- 
sions, the  same  pettinesses,  the  same  caprices,  the 
same  quarrels  in  families  and  between  friends,  the 
same  jealousies,  the  same  antipathies :  everywhere 
there  are  daughters-in-law  and  mothers-in  law,  hus- 
bands and  wives,  divorces,  ruptures,  and  ineffectual 
reconciliations  ;  everywhere  eccentricity,  anger,  pref- 
erences, tattling,  and  tale-bearing.  With  good  eyes 
it  is  easy  to  see  town  life,  the  Rue  Saint  Denis  trans- 
ported to  Versailles  or  Fontainebleau." 

Count  de  Las  Cases  has  said  in  the  Memorial :  "  One 
of  us  ventured  to  ask  if  the  Empress  of  Austria  was 
not  the  sworn  enemy  of  Marie  Louise.  It  was  noth- 
ing else,  said  the  Emperor,  than  a  pretty  little  court 
hatred,  a  heartfelt  detestation,  concealed  under  daily 
letters,  four  pages  long,  full  of  affection  and  endear- 
ment. The  Empress  of  Austria  was  very  attentive 
to  Napoleon  and  was  very  coquettish  with  him,  so 
long  as  he  was  in  her  presence,  but  as  soon  as  his 
back  was  turned  she  was  busy  with  trying  to  detach 
Marie  Louise  from  him  by  the  vilest  and  most  mali- 
cious insinuations ;  she  was  much  annoyed  that  she 


DRESDEN.  349 


could  get  no  power  over  him.  'Besides,'  said  the 
Emperor,  *  she  is  witty  and  intelligent  enough  to  em- 
barrass her  husband,  who  was  sure  that  she  cared 
very  little  for  him.  Her  face  was  agreeable  and 
bright  with  a  charm  of  its  own.  She  was  like  a 
pretty  nun.' " 

Napoleon  kept  busy  at  Dresden.  Men  were  con- 
tinually coming  and  going,  and  the  Emperor  was  ac- 
tively working  over  the  details,  political  and  military, 
of  the  vast  expedition  he  was  getting  ready.  Marie 
Louise,  who  wished  to  avail  herself  of  his  few  mo- 
ments of  leisure,  scarcely  left  the  palace,  and  it  was 
to  no  purpose  that  her  step-mother,  the  Empress  of 
Austria,  tried  to  represent  this  devotion  as  something 
ridiculous. 

There  was  a  sort  of  hidden  rivalry  between  the  two 
Empresses.  Napoleon  had  had  all  the  crown  dia- 
monds brought  to  Dresden,  and  Marie  Louise  was 
literally  covered  by  them.  General  de  Se'gur  says : 
"She  completely  effaced  her  step-mother  by  the 
splendor  of  her  jewels.  If  Napoleon  demanded  less 
display,  she  resisted  him,  even  with  tears,  and  the 
Emperor  yielded  the  point  from  affection,  fatigue,  or 
distraction.  It  has  been  said  that,  in  spite  of  her 
birth,  this  princess  mortified  the  pride  of  the  Germans 
by  some  thoughtless  comparisons  between  her  new 
and  her  former  country.  Napoleon  blamed  her  for 
this,  but  very  gently.  The  patriotism  with  which  he 
had  inspired  her  gratified  him ;  he  tried  to  set  matters 
right  by  numerous  presents."  The  Empress  of  Aus- 


350  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

tria  was  compelled  to  conceal  her  ill-will.  She  was 
present  almost  every  morning  when  Marie  Louise  was 
dressing,  ransacked  her  step-daughter's  laces,  ribbons, 
stuffs,  shawls,  and  jewels,  and  carried  something  off 
almost  every  day. 

The  Emperor  Francis  pretended  not  to  notice  the 
jealousies  of  his  wife  and  his  daughter.  He  spent  a 
good  part  of  every  day  in  walking  about  the  town, 
and  was  somewhat  surprised  at  the  enormous  amount 
of  work  which  his  son-in-law  did.  He  sought  to  grat- 
ify the  mighty  Emperor  by  telling  him  that  in  the 
Middle  Ages  the  Bonaparte  family  had  ruled  over 
Treviso ;  that  he  was  sure  of  this,  for  he  had  seen  the 
authentic  documents  that  proved  it.  Napoleon  replied 
that  he  took  no  interest  in  it,  that  he  preferred  being 
the  Rudolph  of  Hapsburg  of  his  family.  The  little 
genealogical  flattery  produced  its  effect,  nevertheless, 
and  Marie  Louise  was  much  pleased  by  it. 

Napoleon  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  Dresden, 
when  Frederic  William,  King  of  Prussia,  arrived 
there.  A  treaty,  signed  February  24,  1812,  bound 
this  prince  to  furnish  for  the  next  campaign  twenty 
thousand  men,  under  a  Prussian  general,  but  bound 
to  obey  the  commander  of  the  French  army  corps  to 
which  they  should  be  assigned.  Austria,  by  a  treaty 
concluded  March  14,  had  promised  to  furnish  a  corps 
of  thirty  thousand  men,  commanded  by  an  Austrian 
general,  under  Napoleon's  orders.  Prussia  especially 
suffered  under  such  a  condition  of  things,  and  the 
memory  of  Jena  had  never  been  keener  or  more  dis- 


DRESDEN.  351 


tressing.  The  occupation  of  Spandau  and  Pillau  by 
the  French,  and  the  ravages  inflicted  on  the  kingdom 
by  the  troops  marching  towards  Russia,  had  much  dis- 
turbed and  grieved  Frederic  William,  who  imagined 
that  Napoleon  meant  to  dethrone  him.  Being  very 
anxious  to  have  early  information  about  the  lot  that 
awaited  him,  he  sent  to  Dresden  M.  von  Hatzfeld,  the 
great  Prussian  nobleman  whom  Napoleon  had  wanted 
to  have  shot  in  1806,  and  to  whom  he  had  later  become 
much  attached,  which  shows,  as  Thiers  has  said,  that 
it  is  well  to  think  twice  before  having  any  one  shot. 
Through  M.  von  Hatzfeld  the  King  of  Prussia  re- 
quested an  interview  with  the  Emperor  in  Berlin. 
The  Emperor  made  answer  that  Berlin  was  not  on 
his  road,  that  he  could  not  go  there,  but  that  he 
would  be  glad  to  see  the  King  in  Dresden. 

Frederic  William  regarded  the  invitation  as  a  com- 
mand, and  set  out  forthwith.  He  reached  the  capital 
May  26,  accompanied  by  Baron  von  Hardenberg  and 
Count  von  Goltz,  Ministers  of  State,  Prince  von  Wit- 
genstein,  High  Chamberlain,  M.  von  Jagou,  First 
Equerry,  Baron  von  Krumsmarck,  Prussian  Minister 
to  Paris,  and  was  joined  the  next  day,  the  27th,  by 
the  Crown  Prince.  Father  and  son  were  very  well 
received.  Napoleon  consented  to  credit  Prussia  with 
the  supplies  taken  by  the  troops  on  their  march,  and 
promised  to  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  the  kingdom  if 
the  war  with  Russia  should  be  successful.  For  his 
part,  the  King  proposed  to  the  Emperor  to  take  the 
Crown  Prince  with  him  as  aide-de-camp,  and  intro- 


352  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

duced  him  to  the  other  aides,  asking  them  to  treat 
their  new  comrade  kindly.  According  to  the  Memoirs 
of  the  Baron  de  Bausset,  who  was  present  at  the  Dres- 
den interview,  "  Everything  which  has  been  written 
about  the  coldness  of  the  King  of  Prussia's  reception 
is  false.  He  was  welcomed,  as  he  had  the  right  to 
expect,  as  a  powerful  ally,  who,  by  a  recent  treaty, 
had  just  united  his  troops  with  those  of  France." 
The  young  Crown  Prince,  who  was  making  his  first 
appearance  in  the  world,  attracted  general  attention 
by  his  elegance  and  distinction.  As  to  the  King,  he 
affected  a  content  of  which  the  curious  despatch 
given  below  was  the  official  expression. 

Nothing  more  clearly  shows  the  ascendancy  which 
Napoleon  exercised  at  this  time  than  this  circular 
addresssed,  June  2,  1812,  by  Count  von  Goltz  to  the 
diplomatic  agent  of  Prussia :  "  Sir,  it  will  be  inter- 
esting for  you  to  learn  with  certainty  the  main  inci- 
dents of  the  recent  journey  of  the  King,  our  Sover- 
eign, to  Dresden.  Since  I  had  the  honor  to  accom- 
pany His  Majesty,  I  give  myself  the  pleasure  of  seiz- 
ing the  moment  of  my  return  to  inform  you  about 
them.  On  receipt  of  a  letter  from  His  Majesty,  the 
Emperor  Napoleon,  brought  to  the  King  May  24,  by 
the  Count  of  Saint  Marsan,  which  contained  the  most 
obliging  and  friendly  invitation  to  visit  that  monarch 
at  Dresden,  His  Majesty  resolved  to  depart  at  once ; 
and  having  set  forth  very  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
25th,  he  arrived  that  evening  at  Grossenhain,  whither 
His  Majesty  the  King  of  Saxony  had  sent  Lieuten- 


DRESDEN.  353 


ant  von  Zeschaud  and  Colonel  von  Reisky  to  meet 
him.  His  entrance  into  Dresden  took  place  on  the 
28th,  at  ten  in  the  morning.  It  was  desired  to  make 
this  a  formal  occasion,  but  His  Majesty  deemed  it 
better  to  decline  the  profound  honors.  Nevertheless, 
a  squadron  of  the  mounted  body-guard  had  awaited 
His  Majesty  at  a  good  quarter  of  a  league  from  the 
city,  and  accompanied  him  to  the  palace  of  Prince 
Antony,  a  part  of  the  castle  in  which  His  Majesty 
is  lodged,  amid  a  countless  throng  of  spectators,  who 
with  one  accord  gave  the  King  the  most  marked 
tokens  of  their  respectful  devotion. 

"  His  Majesty  was  received  at  the  foot  of  the  stair- 
case, and  in  the  most  flattering  way,  by  His  Majesty 
the  Bang  of  Saxony,  accompanied  by  all  his  court, 
his  ministers,  and  the  most  distinguished  citizens. 
After  a  brief  interview  in  the  King's  apartment,  His 
Majesty  having  announced  his  visit  to  the  two 
Emperors,,  they  paid  him  the  friendly  attention  of 
announcing  their  own.  The  Emperor  Napoleon  was 
the  first  to  arrive,  and  the  two  monarchs,  having  em- 
braced, had  at  once  an  interview  which  lasted  more 
than  half  an  hour.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  then 
arrived,  and  greeted  His  Majesty  in  the  most  consid- 
erate and  friendly  manner." 

The  Prussian  Minister,  expressing  the  most  un- 
bounded satisfaction,  abounded  with  praise  of  the 
courtesy  and  kindness  of  Napoleon.  He  concluded 
his  circular  despatch  thus:  "I  am  obliged  to  ab- 
stain from  going  into  further  details  with  regard  to 


354  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

our  Sovereign's  reception,  and  the  subsequent  inter- 
views, as  well  as  the  court  ceremonies  and  festivals 
of  this  day  and  the  two  following ;  but  what  I  can  and 
must  add  as  an  eye-witness,  is,  that  in  general  there 
could  have  been  nothing  more  considerate  and  more 
friendly  than  this  reception,  as  well  on  the  part  of 
His  Majesty  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  as  on  that  of 
Their  Majesties  the  Emperor  of  Austria  and  the  King 
of  Saxony  and  their  august  families,  and  that  the 
King  has  been  much  gratified  by  it.  The  friendship 
and  the  personal  confidence  of  these  monarchs  and 
the  reciprocal  conviction  of  the  sincerity  of  their  feel- 
ings have  affirmed  themselves  in  the  most  solid  way ; 
and  especially,  the  close  bonds  uniting  our  Sovereign 
with  that  of  France  have  acquired  a  new  character 
of  cordiality  and  strength.  I  have  to  add  that  His 
Royal  Highness  the  Crown  Prince,  who  reached  Dres- 
den on  the  27th,  has  equally  received  the  suffrages 
of  the  Sovereigns  there  assembled,  and  that  the  Em- 
peror Napoleon  greeted  him  with  affectionate  cordial- 
ity." Count  von  Goltz  was  evidently  anxious  that 
all  this  should  be  bruited  abroad.  The  last  sentence 
of  the  despatch  ran  thus,  "  Although  these  details 
are  primarily  intended  for  you,  Sir,  you  are  obviously 
free  to  make  such  use  of  them  as  you  may  see  fit." 
Possibly  this  sentence  meant  that  when  these  details 
might  not  be  agreeable,  that  is  to  say,  to  the  friends 
of  Russia  or  England,  it  might  not  be  well  to  com- 
municate them. 

In  fact,  not  a  single  Prussian  had  forgotten  Jena ; 


DRESDEN.  355 


there  was  not  one  who  did  not  yearn  for  revenge. 
King  Frederic  William,  who  had  at  first  resolved  to 
withdraw  to  Silesia,  in  order  not  to  be  in  Potsdam 
under  the  cannon  of  Spandau,  or  in  Berlin  under  the 
authority  of  a  French  governor,  consented  to  return 
to  his  usual  quarters.  Although  his  minister,  Count 
von  Goltz,  had  represented  him  as  "perfectly  satisfied 
with  the  precious  days  he  had  spent  at  Dresden,  and 
deeply  touched  by  the  repeated  proofs  of  friendship, 
esteem,  and  attachment  that  he  had  received,"  this 
sovereign,  though  he  bowed  to  the  exigencies  of  the 
hour,  waited  only  for  a  favorable  moment  to  reappear 
in  the  front  ranks  of  his  conqueror's  foes.  In  1816 
Napoleon  thus  judged  him:  "The  King  of  Prussia, 
as  a  man,  is  loyal,  kind,  and  honest,  but  in  his  polit- 
ical capacity  he  is  naturally  ruled  by  necessity ;  so 
long  as  you  have  the  strength,  you  are  his  master." 

People  of  intelligence  who  were  with  Napoleon 
in  Dresden  were  not  deceived  about  the  real  feelings 
of  Germany  and  nearly  all  its  rulers.  "  The  wisest 
of  us,"  says  General  de  Sdgur,  "  were  alarmed ;  they 
said,  though  not  aloud,  that  one  must  think  one's  self 
something  supernatural  to  destroy  and  displace  every- 
thing in  this  way  without  fear  of  being  caught  in 
the  general  overthrow.  They  saw  monarchs  leaving 
Napoleon's  palace,  with  their  eyes  and  hearts  full  of 
the  bitterest  resentment.  They  imagined  that  they 
heard  them  at  night  pouring  forth  to  their  trusty  min- 
isters the  agony  which  filled  their  souls.  Everything 
intensified  their  grief.  The  crowd  through  which 


356  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

they  had  to  make  their  way,  in  order  to  reach  the 
door  of  their  proud  conqueror,  was  a  source  of  dis- 
tress ;  for  all,  even  their  own  people,  seemed  to  be 
false  to  them.  When  his  happiness  was  proclaimed, 
their  misfortunes  were  insulted.  They  had  collected 
at  Dresden  to  make  Napoleon's  triumph  more  bril- 
liant, for  it  was  he  who  triumphed.  Every  cry  of 
admiration  for  him  was  one  of  reproach  to  them,  his 
exaltation  was  their  abasement,  his  victories  were 
their  defeats !  They  thus  fed  their  bitterness,  and 
every  day  hatred  sank  deeper  into  their  hearts." 

The  Duke  of  Bassano,  at  that  time  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  was  unwilling  to  perceive  this  latent 
hostility,  which  was  carefully  concealed  under  pro- 
testations of  devotion.  He  wrote,  May  27,  1812,  to 
Count  Otto,  French  Ambassador  at  Vienna:  "Their 
Royal  and  Imperial  Majesties  will  probably  leave 
Dresden  day  after  to-morrow.  Their  stay  in  this  city 
has  been  marked  by  reciprocal  proofs  of  the  most 
perfect  intelligence  and  the  greatest  intimacy.  Now 
the  two  Emperors  know  and  appreciate  each  other. 
The  embarrassment  and  timidity  of  the  Emperor  of 
Austria  have  left  him  in  face  of  Napoleon's  frankness 
and  simple  character.  Long  conversations  have 
taken  place  between  the  two  monarchs.  All  the 
interests  of  Austria  have  been  discussed,  and  I  be- 
lieve the  Emperor  Francis  will  have  received  from 
his  journey  a  fuller  confidence  in  the  feelings  of  the 
Emperor  Napoleon  towards  him,  as  well  as  a  large 
crop  of  good  counsels."  With  all  his  optimism, 


DRESDEN.  357 


the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  was  compelled  to 
notice  the  secret  feelings  of  the  Empress  of  Austria. 
After  saying  in  his  despatch  to  Count  Otto  that  the 
Emperor  Francis  had  been  able  to  see  with  his  own 
eyes  how  happy  Marie  Louise  was,  he  went  on : 
"  This  sight,  so  agreeable  to  a  father,  has  produced 
on  another  august  person  more  surprise  than  emo- 
tion. However,  if  the  real  feelings  are  not  changed, 
there  will  be  at  least  a  perceptible  amelioration,  since 
the  illusions  inspired  and  fed  by  a  coterie  will  have 
disappeared."  The  Duke  ended  his  despatch  by 
these  words  of  praise  for  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prus- 
sia :  "  The  King  of  Prussia  arrived  here  day  before 
yesterday.  He  was  followed  yesterday  by  the  Crown 
Prince,  who  is  making  his  entrance  into  the  world. 
He  comports  himself  with  prudence  and  grace." 

The  Dresden  festivities  were  drawing  to  a  close. 
Not  only  the  Germans,  even  the  French,  were  grow- 
ing weary  of  them.  "I  pass  over  the  ceremonies 
of  etiquette,"  says  the  Baron  de  Bausset,  who  took 
part  in  these  so-called  rejoicings ;  "  they  are  the  same 
at  every  court.  Great  dinners,  great  balls,  great 
illuminations,  always  standing,  even  at  the  eternal 
concerts,  a  few  drives,  long  waitings  in  long  drawing- 
rooms  ;  always  serious,  always  attentive,  always  busy 
in  defending  one's  powers  or  one's  pretensions,  .  .  . 
that  is  to  what  these  envied,  longed-for  pleasures 
amount."  All  this  machinery  of  alleged  distractions 
concealed  serious  anxieties  and  the  keenest  uneasiness. 

Napoleon  had  desired  that  the  Dresden  interview 


358  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 


should  preserve  a  pacific  appearance.  Possibly  he 
had  for  a  moment  hoped  that  the  Czar,  on  seeing 
the  force  assembled  about  the  Emperor  of  the  French, 
King  of  Italy,  and  Protector  of  the  Confederation 
of  the  Rhine,  the  ally  of  Prussia  and  Austria,  would 
accept  whatever  conditions  so  great  a  potentate 
might  offer,  and  abandon  the  struggle  before  it  was 
begun.  The  military  element  was  kept  in  the  back- 
ground. Court  dresses  were  more  numerous  in 
Dresden  than  uniforms.  Napoleon  assumed  the 
appearance  of  a  sovereign  rather  than  of  a  general. 
Murat  and  King  Jerome  were  despatched  to  their 
courts.  But  every  one  knew  perfectly  well  that  the 
storm  was  gathering.  One  would  have  said  that 
the  first  cannon  fired  in  that  tremendous  campaign  — 
the  Russian  campaign  —  were  going  to  disturb  and 
then  to  extinguish  the  sound  of  trumpets  and  bands. 
The  entertainments  were  on  the  surface;  the  war 
was  in  the  depths. 

It  was  a  terrible,  lamentable  war  towards  which 
the  hero  of  so  many  battles  was  plunging  with  a 
lowered  head,  as  if  drawn  into  the  abyss  by  a  deadly 
fascination.  Sometimes,  amid  the  fumes  of  power 
and  pride,  some  mysterious  voice  warned  him  of  his 
peril ;  but  he  would  reassure  himself  by  recalling  his 
former  victories  and  thinking  of  his  star.  As  Gen- 
eral de  S^gur  has  said :  "  It  seemed  as  if  in  his 
doubts  of  the  future,  he  buried  himself  in  the  past, 
and  that  he  felt  it  necessary  to  arm  himself  against 
a  great  peril  with  all  his  most  glorious  recollections. 


DRESDEN.  35y 


Then,  as  he  has  since  done,  he  felt  the  need  of 
forming  illusions  about  the  alleged  weakness  of  his 
rival.  As  he  made  ready  for  this  great  invasion,  he 
hesitated  to  regard  the  result  as  certain;  for  he  no 
longer  was  conscious  of  his  infallibility,  nor  had  that 
military  assurance  which  the  force  and  fire  of  youth 
give,  nor  had  he  that  conviction  of  success  which 
makes  it  sure."  There  had  been  no  lack  of  warn-  . 
ings.  Those  of  his  advisers  who  knew  Russia  well, 
such  as  the  Count  of  Se*gur  and  the  Duke  of  Vicenza, 
ambassadors  at  Saint  Petersburg,  one  under  the 
King,  the  other  under  the  Empire,  had  said  to  him : 
"  Everything  will  be  against  you  in  this  war.  The 
Russians  will  have  their  patriotism  and  love  of  inde- 
pendence, all  public  and  private  interests,  including 
the  secret  wishes  of  our  allies.  We  shall  have  for 
us,  against  so  many  obstacles,  nothing  but  glory 
alone,  even  without  the  cupidity  which  the  terrible 
poverty  of  those  regions  cannot  tempt."  General 
Rapp,  who  was  in  command  at  Dantzic,  had  thought 
it  his  duty  to  inform  Marshal  Davoust  of  the  alarm- 
ing symptoms  which  he  had  discovered  among  the 
German  populace :  "  If  the  French  army  suffers  a 
single  defeat,  there  will  be  one  vast  insurrection 
from  the  Rhine  to  the  Niemen."  Davoust  forwarded 
this  information  to  Napoleon  with  this  single  indorse- 
ment: "I  remember,  Sire,  in  fact,  that  in  1809,  had  it 
not  been  for  Your  Majesty's  miracles  at  Regensburg, 
our  situation  in  Germany  would  have  been  very 
difficult."  The  Emperor  listened  to  no  one.  He  did 


360  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

not  suspect  that  the  King  of  Prussia,  seemingly  his 
ally,  had  sent  word  secretly  to  the  Czar :  "  Strike 
no  blow  at  Napoleon.  Draw  the  French  into  the 
heart  of  Russia;  let  fatigue  and  famine  do  the 
work."  Meanwhile  the  sun  was  drying  the  roads ; 
the  grass  was  beginning  to  grow.  Nature  was  pre- 
paring the  earth  for  the  common  extermination  of 
its  people.  And,  oddly  enough,  at  the  moment 
when  the  slaughter  was  about  to  begin,  Napoleon 
had  no  feeling  of  hate  or  wrath  towards  his  adver- 
sary, the  Russian  monarch.  He  was  of  the  opinion 
that  a  war  between  sovereigns,  that  is  to  say,  between 
brothers  by  divine  right,  could  in  no  way  affect  their 
friendship.  He  had  written,  April  25,  1812,  to  the 
Emperor  Alexander :  "  Your  Majesty  will  permit 
me  to  assure  you,  that  if  fate  shall  render  this  war 
between  us  inevitable,  it  cannot  alter  the  feelings 
with  which  Your  Majesty  has  inspired  me;  they 
are  secure  from  all  vicissitude  and  all  change." 

Napoleon  rightly  spoke  of  fate  ;  for  was  it  not  that 
which  lured  him,  by  its  irresistible  power,  towards 
the  icy  steppes  where  his  power  and  glory  sank  be- 
neath the  snow?  If  at  times  a  swift  and  sombre 
anticipation  of  evil  crowned  his  mind,  what  was  that 
presentiment  by  the  side  of  the  terrible  reality? 
What  would  the  conqueror  have  said  if,  in  the 
misty  future,  he  had  seen  anything  of  his  own  fate  ? 
Among  the  courtiers  of  every  nationality  who  were 
gathering  around  the  great  Emperor  at  Dresden, 
there  was  an  Austrian  general,  half  a  military  man, 


DRESDEN.  361 


half  a  diplomatist,  but  not  a  striking  figure  in  any 
way.  One  evening  the  Empress  Marie  Louise,  on 
her  way  to  the  theatrical  performance,  spoke  a  few 
empty  words  to  him,  merely  because  she  happened 
to  meet  him.  He  was  the  Count  of  Neipperg.  How 
astonished  Napoleon  would  have  been  if  any  one  had 
told  him  that  one  day  this  unknown  officer  would 
succeed  him  as  the  husband  of  Marie  Louise.  The 
young  Empress  would  have  been  equally  amazed  if 
any  one  had  prophesied  so  strange  a  thing.  Of  these 
two  personages,  then  so  brilliant,  the  all-powerful 
Emperor  and  the  radiant  Empress,  one  was  in  a  few 
years  to  be  a  prisoner  at  Saint  Helena ;  the  other  was 
to  be  the  morganatic  wife  of  an  Austrian  general. 


xxvm. 

PRAGUE. 

MAY  29, 1812,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
Napoleon  left  Dresden  to  put  .himself  at  the 
head  of  his  armies.  He  kissed  Marie  Louise  most 
warmly,  and  she  seemed  sorely  distressed  at  parting 
from  him.  The  30th,  at  two  in  the  morning,  he 
reached  Glogau,  in  Silesia,  whence  he  started  at  five 
to  enter  Poland.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  passed  the 
whole  of  the  29th  with  his  daughter,  trying  to  con- 
sole her  for  Napoleon's  departure,  and  he  left  Dres- 
den that  evening.  He  was  going  to  Prague,  where 
she  was  to  rejoin  him  in  a  few  days,  and  he  was 
meaning  to  put  the  last  touches  to  the  preparations 
of  the  reception  he  designed  for  her.  Marie  Louise 
looked  forward  with  pleasure  to  passing  a  few  weeks 
at  Prague  with  her  family ;  and  the  Austrian  ruler, 
for  his  part,  acted  both  as  a  kind  father  and  an  as- 
tute statesman  in  offering  to  his  daughter  attentions 
and  tokens  of  deference  by  which  his  son-in-law  could 
not  fail  to  be  flattered. 

After  the  departure  of  her  husband  and  her  father, 
Marie  Louise  remained  still  five  days  in  the  capital 

363 


PRAGUE.  363 

of  Saxony,  profiting  by  them  to  visit  the  wonderful 
museum,  the  castle  of  Pilnitz,  and  the  fortress  of 
Konigstein,  on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe,  upon  a  steep 
rock.  June  4,  in  the  early  morning,  she  left  Dres- 
den accompanied  by  her  uncle,  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Wiirzburg.  The  royal  family  and  the  Saxon  court  es- 
corted the  young  Empress  to  her  carriage,  and  she  set 
forth  amid  the  roar  of  cannon  and  the  pealing  of  all 
the  bells.  Her  journey  was  one  long  ovation.  The 
Saxon  cuirassiers  escorted  her  to  the  Austrian  fron- 
tier ;  there  she  found  waiting  to  receive  her  Count 
Kolowrat,  Grand  Burgrave  of  Bohemia,  and  Prince 
Clary,  the  Emperor  Francis's  Chamberlain.  A  detach- 
ment of  light  horse  of  the  Klenau  regiment  took  the 
place  of  the  Saxon  cuirassiers.  At  midday  Marie 
Louise  arrived  at  Toplitz ;  there  she  rested  two 
hours ;  then  they  drove  in  the  magnificent  palace 
gardens  of  Prince  Clary,  into  which  the  populace 
had  been  admitted.  Then  she  visited  the  suburbs, 
the  park  of  Turn,  Schlossberg.  Everywhere  there 
were  triumphal  arches,  bands  of  music,  girls  present- 
ing flowers.  In  the  evening  the  whole  town  of  Top- 
litz was  illuminated.  The  miners  assembled  before 
the  palace  in  which  the  Empress  was  staying,  to  sing 
one  of  their  songs,  each  verse  of  which  ended  with  a 
cheer  and  a  swinging  of  their  lanterns. 

While  the  Emperor  Francis  was  at  Prague,  wait- 
ing for  his  daughter,  he  was  joined  by  Count  Otto, 
the  French  Ambassador  at  Vienna.  This  diplomatist 
sent  to  the  Duke  of  Bassano  this  curious  despatch: 


364  THE  EMPEESS  MAEIE  LOUISE. 

"Prague,  June  5,  1812.  My  Lord,  —  I  arrived  here 
the  night  of  the  3d.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  had 
given  orders  that  I  and  my  suite  should  be  con- 
ducted to  a  house  prepared  for  me  by  the  side  of  the 
palace.  I  was  at  once  informed  on  arriving  that  I 
was  at  liberty  to  dispose  of  all  the  service  of  the 
court,  including  the  carriages,  —  a  very  agreeable 
attention,  because  on  the  mountain  on  which  the 
castle  of  Prague  is  built  there  are  no  provisions  for 
strangers.  The  next  day  the  Grand  Chamberlain 
wrote  to  me  to  say  that  Their  Majesties  would  be 
very  glad  to  receive  me  at  a  private  audience,  after 
which  I  should  have  the  honor  of  dining  with  them. 
I  found  the  Emperor  extremely  satisfied  with  all  he 
had  seen  and  heard  at  Dresden.  He  congratulated 
himself  on  having  made  more  thorough  acquaintance 
with  his  august  son-in-law,  and  spoke  with  real  emo- 
tion of  the  happiness  of  his  dear  Louise.  He  was 
impatiently  awaiting  her  arrival  at  Prague,  and  anti- 
cipating her  surprise  at  the  picturesque  and  magnifi- 
cent view  from  the  castle  overhanging  the  broad 
river,  full  of  islands,  above  the  brilliantly  illuminated 
city.  The  Empress  of  the  French  would  enjoy  a 
spectacle  which  could  scarcely  be  equalled  any- 
where, and  the  more  striking  because  she  had  never 
seen  Prague.  Knowing  that  the  Emperor  preferred 
to  speak  German,  I  addressed  him  in  that  language, 
and  I  was  glad  that  I  did.  The  monarch  expressed 
himself  at  length  in  a  way  that  touched  me  deeply. 
He  told  me  that  he  wanted  to  keep  his  august  daugh- 


PRAGUE.  365 

ter  with  him  as  long  as  she  should  care  to  stay  at 
Prague,  and  that  he  would  escort  her  to  the  frontier. 
'  To-morrow,'  he  added,  « I  shall  go  to  meet  her  with 
the  Empress;  I  shall  make  the  most  of  every  mo- 
ment she  can  give  me,  and  I  shall  part  with  her  with 
the  sincerest  regret.' 

"  Then  talking  about  the  state  of  affairs,  the  Em- 
peror said  that  he  could  not  understand  the  conduct 
of  Russia;  that  they  must  be  beside  themselves  at 
Saint  Petersburg  to  wish  to  measure  their  strength 
with  a  power  like  France.  '  Your  army,'  he  went  on, 
4  is  stronger  by  at  least  a  hundred  thousand  men ;  you 
have  far  abler  officers ;  your  Emperor  alone  is  worth 
eighty  thousand  men.' " 

After  the  audience  of  the  Emperor  Francis,  came 
the  Empress's.  The  ambassador  described  that  too, 
but  not  without  noticing  the  systematic  reserve  she 
showed  in  speaking  directly  or  indirectly  about  the 
state  of  affairs.  "When  I  was  introduced  to  Her 
Majesty  the  Empress,  she  received  me  with  the  same 
flattering  consideration.  She  made  me  sit  down  by 
her,  and  spoke  at  some  length  of  the  excellent  health 
of  our  Empress,  and  of  her  delight  that  she  was  still 
going  to  stay  for  some  time  with  her.  The  rest  of 
the  conversation  was  about  matters  of  art  and  litera- 
ture, which  interest  Her  Majesty  very  much.  She 
talked  easily  and  pleasantly,  but  confined  herself  to 
literature  and  philosophy,  making  no  reference  to 
the  events  of  the  day  or  to  those  which  are  prepar- 
ing." 


366  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

In  spite  of  this  shadow  which  the  ambassador  was 
acute  enough  to  notice,  the  despatch  on  the  whole 
bore  witness  to  his  complete  content.  "On  rising 
from  the  table,"  he  added,  "the  Emperor  spoke  to 
me  in  the  kindest  way,  and  asked  some  of  the  noble- 
men who  were  present  to  show  me  .the  curiosities  of 
the  city  and  the  neighborhood.  He  afterwards  sent 
me  word  by  the  High  Chamberlain  that  he  had  set 
aside  for  me  one  of  the  principal  boxes  of  the  theatre 
during  my  stay.  This  court,  which  is  generally  so 
informal,  is  to  be  very  magnificent  during  the  visit 
of  Her  Majesty  the  Empress.  The  Emperor  is  going 
to  meet  her  with  the  principal  members  of  the  court; 
the  guards  of  the  castle  and  of  the  city  have  been 
largely  reinforced;  the  Hungarian  Guard  has  been 
ordered  from  Vienna.  The  young  Imperial  family 
will  arrive  some  time  to-morrow;  preparations  are 
making  for  grand  illuminations,  balls,  and  other  fes- 
tivities to  celebrate  this  interesting  reunion.  I  have 
been  invited  again  to  dine  with  Their  Majesties,  and 
everything  is  in  readiness  to  receive  our  Sovereign. 
The  hearts  of  this  good  people  of  Bohemia  are  flying 
to  meet  her.  Speaking  of  the  loyalty  of  this  nation, 
the  Emperor  told  me  that  it  is  ready  to  do  whatever 
is  asked  of  it.  General  Klenau  added  that  if  he 
were  allowed  to  make  use  of  the  influence  of  Saint 
Nepomuc,  whose  bronze  statue  is  saluted  every  day 
by  those  who  cross  the  Prague  bridge,  he  could  raise 
two  hundred  thousand  Bohemians  in  a  very  short 
time.  I  have  mentioned  General  Klenau,  and  I  must 


PRAGUE.  367 

say  that  he  is  full  of  gratitude  for  the  kindness  with 
which  His  Majesty  has  been  treated  at  Dresden.  He 
speaks  of  him  most  enthusiastically  and  regrets  that 
he  is  not  able  to  serve  under  the  greatest  general  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  The  Prince  and  Princess  An- 
thony of  Saxony  arrived  this  morning,  and  are  now 
setting  forth  to  meet  Her  Majesty  the  Empress." 

June  5,  Marie  Louise  made  an  early  start  from 
Toplitz  for  Prague.  At  five  in  the  afternoon  a 
salute  of  fifty  cannon  announced  that  she  had  arrived 
at  the  White  Mountain.  The  Emperor  and  Empress 
of  Austria,  followed  by  their  household  in  gala  attire, 
had  met  her  at  the  Abbey  of  Saint  Margaret.  She 
got  into  their  carriage,  and  with  them  made  a 
triumphal  entry  into  Prague  amid  blazing  torches. 
The  capital  of  Bohemia  was  brilliantly  illuminated. 
The  garrison  and  the  guilds,  bearing  their  banners, 
formed  a  double  line.  The  Empress  of  Austria  had 
given  up  to  her  step-daughter  her  place  to  the  right 
on  the  back  seat,  and  the  Emperor  sat  on  the  front 
seat  with  his  brother,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wurzburg. 
A  countless  multitude  cheered  them  most  enthusias- 
tically. 

When  they  had  reached  the  castle,  Marie  Louise 
was  conducted  to  her  apartments  by  the  Emperor 
and  the  Empress,  and  there  she  found  awaiting  her,  to 
present  their  respects,  the  authorities  of  the  city,  the 
canonesses  of  the  two  noble  chapters  of  the  province, 
those  of  the  court  who  had  not  gone  to  meet  her, 
and  a  large  household  chosen  by  the  Emperor  from 


368  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

his  most  distinguished  chamberlains.  She  dined  at 
her  father's  table  with  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wiirz- 
burg,  Prince  Anthony  of  Saxony,  the  Duchess  of 
Montebello,  the  Duchess  of  Bassano,  the  Count  of 
Montesquieu,  etc.  The  Emperor  and  the  Empress 
of  Austria  gave  up  to  her  the  first  place  at  the  table, 
as  they  had  done  in  the  carriage,  and  during  her 
whole  stay  at  Prague  she  received  the  honors  re- 
served for  the  Austrian  sovereigns  on  grand  occasions. 
Prince  Clary  was  put  at  the  head  of  the  household 
chosen  for  her,  which  included  besides,  Counts  Neip- 
perg,  von  Nestitz,  von  Clam,  Prince  von  Auersperg, 
Prince  von  Kinsky,  Counts  von  Lutzow,  von  Paar, 
von  Wallis,  von  Trautmannsdorf,  von  Clam-Martinitz. 
In  the  postscript  of  his  despatch  of  June  5,  1812, 
which  we  have  quoted,  Count  Otto  gave  the  follow- 
ing details  about  Marie  Louise's  entrance  into  Prague  : 
"  Her  Majesty  the  Empress  arrived  here  at  about 
seven  in  the  evening.  Ever  since  eleven  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  troops,  the  corporation,  the  civic  guards,  the 
University,  and  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
had  turned  out  to  meet  her,  forming  a  line  which  it 
was  most  interesting  to  see,  on  account  of  the  kindli- 
ness and  affection  which  animated  the  multitude. 
The  procession  was  very  imposing  and  worthy  of  the 
two  sovereigns.  It  had  been  arranged  that  Her 
Majesty  should  arrive  in  an  open  carriage,  which  was 
driven  very  slowly  so  that  the  vast  crowd  should  be  able 
to  get  a  good  look  at  her.  Incessant  cheers  mingled 
with  the  pealing  bells,  the  cannon,  and  tho  military 


PRAGUE.  369 

music.  The  whole  court  had  gathered  to  welcome 
the  Empress,  at  the  foot  of  the  grand  staircase  of  the 
castle.  Her  Majesty  seemed  very  little  tired  by  the 
journey,  though  she  had  a  slight  cold,  which  did  not 
mar  her  pleasure  or  keep  her  from  expressing  to  her 
parents  her  delight  at  being  with  them." 

June  7,  the  Archduke  Charles  reached  Prague. 
That  evening  there  was  a  state  dinner  in  the  apart- 
ment of  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  Marie  Louise  sat 
at  the  middle  of  the  table  with  the  Emperor  on  her 
right,  and  the  Empress  on  her  left.  This  was  the 
place  always  assigned  to  her,  both  at  home  and  at  her 
father's.  At  this  dinner  she  was  waited  on  by  Prince 
Clary,  who  was  entrusted  with  the  functions  of  her 
High  Chamberlain. 

The  same  day  (June  7),  the  Duke  of  Bassano,  who 
had  accompanied  Napoleon,  wrote  to  Count  Otto: 
"  Sir,  —  I  have  the  honor  of  informing  you  that  His 
Majesty,  who  left  Dresden  May  29,  reached  Thorn 
the  2d  inst.  He  stopped  forty-eight  hours  at  Posen, 
leaving  at  four  o'clock  for  Dantzic  in  order  to  review 
on  his  way  several  of  the  army  corps.  His  health  is 
perfect,  and  everywhere  he  has  received  the  expres- 
sion of  the  enthusiasm  and  admiration  he  inspires. 
The  army  is  magnificent.  The  soldiers  are  in  good 
trim,  and  all  the  corps  are  conspicuous  for  their  fine 
bearing  and  their  discipline.  The  weather  is  fault- 
less, the  roads  are  in  good  condition,  and  the  country 
amply  supplies  all  that  the  army  needs,  without  its 
calling  on  its  abundant  reserves.  I  propose,  Sir,  to 


370  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

write  to  you  twice  a  week,  to  give  you  the  news  about 
His  Majesty,  and  details  about  the  operations  of  the 
army.  These  communications  will  enable  you  to 
contradict  the  idle  rumors  which  malicious  persons 
may  spread." 

At  Prague  the  festivities  continued  without  inter- 
ruption :  June  10,  the  Empress  of  France  gave  a  din- 
ner, and  at  the  Court  Theatre  there  was  a  performance 
of  a  German  play,  Kotzebue's  "American";  on  the 
llth,  the  Emperor  of  Austria  gave  a  dinner ;  on  the 
12th,  they  visited  the  Imperial  Library,  the  Drawing- 
School,  the  Museum  of  Machinery,  and  in  the  evening 
there  was  a  concert;  the  10th,  the  Archdukes  An- 
thony and  Reinhardt  arrived ;  in  the  afternoon  Marie 
Louise  gave  a  ball  in  honor  of  her  sisters,  the  three 
young  Archduchesses ;  the  14th,  they  visited  the  Park 
of  Bubenet;  the  15th,  the  gardens  of  Count  Wratislau, 
and  the  estate  of  Count  von  Clam  ;  the  16th,  a  picnic 
at  Count  von  Chotek's  castle,  seven  leagues  from 
Prague,  a  sail  in  the  boats,  return  to  Prague,  and  the 
arrival  of  Archduke  Albert.  The  18th,  the  Empress 
Marie  Louise  rode  in  the  riding-school  of  the  Wallen- 
stein  Place ;  the  Prince  of  Ligne  arrived,  of  whom 
the  Baron  de  Bausset  says  "  This  amiable  Prince 
had  all  the  qualities  needed  for  social  success;  he 
was  witty,  dignified  without  haughtiness,  affectionate, 
and  most  gracious  and  polite;  his  fancy  was  quick 
and  fertile ;  his  conversation  was  animated  though 
kindly  and  always  in  good  taste ;  he  was  continually 
saying  clever  things  which  amused  but  gave  no  pain, 


PRAGUE.  371 

and  was  full  of  good  stories  and  interesting  reminis- 
cences. His  face  was  handsome,  his  expression  noble, 
and  he  was  very  tall.  Every  one  began  with  loving 
him,  and  ended  with  loving  him  still  more." 

June  18th,  in  the  evening,  a  grand  ball  was  given 
by  Count  von  Kolowrat,  Grand  Burgrave  of  Bohemia. 
The  19th,  arrived  Archduke  Joseph,  Palatine  of  Hun- 
gary ;  the  20th,  visit  to  the  wild  and  picturesque 
grotto  of  Saint  Procopius,  which  lies  amid  woods 
and  rocks;  the  21st,  reception  of  the  Princes  of 
Mecklenburg  and  Hesse-Homburg,  state  dinner  and 
grand  ball  at  the  castle.  The  22d,  the  Empress 
Marie  Louise  rode  with  her  father,  who,  when  he  saw 
that  she  liked  her  horse,  made  her  a  present  of  it. 
Marie  Louise  gave  it  the  name  of  Hradschin,  which 
is  the  name  of  the  mountain  on  which  the  castle  of 
Prague  is  built.  The  23d,  visit  to  the  Hermitage 
of  Saint  Ivan  and  to  the  old  castle  of  Carlstein ; 
the  24th,  a  grand  performance  at  the  theatre ;  the 
25th,  arrival  of  Archduke  Rudolph ;  the  26th,  ar- 
rival of  the  young  Archdukes,  Ferdinand  and  Maxi- 
milian, ball  given  by  the  Empress  of  France;  the 
27th,  dinner  given  by  the  Emperor  of  Austria ;  the 
30th,  festival  on  the  island  of  the  Arquebusiers,  setr 
ting  out  at  half-past  six  in  the  evening  from  the 
right  bank  of  the  Moldau,  landing  at  the  end  of  the 
island,  where  a  triumphal  arch  had  been  built,  and 
young  girls  threw  flowers  before  Their  Majesties' 
path. 

July  1,  Marie  Louise,  accompanied  by  her  father 


372  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

the  Emperor,  left  Prague  at  six  in  the  morning. 
The  garrison  and  the  civic  guard  were  under  arms. 
The  nobles  who  were  at  court  escorted  the  Empress 
of  the  French  to  her  carriage,  and  amid  pealing  bells 
and  roaring  cannon,  the  cheers  and  blessings  of  the 
crowd,  the  young  sovereign  departed.  That  evening 
she  slept  at  Schb'ffin;  the  next  day,  July  2,  at  Carls- 
bad ;  the  4th,  she  visited  the  tin  mines  of  Franken- 
thal,  descending  more  than  six  hundred  feet  in  a 
chair,  placed  at  the  mouth  and  controlled  by  balance- 
weights  ;  the  chair  was  then  sent  up,  the  Emperor 
Francis  went  down  as  well  as  all  the  ladies,  one 
after  another ;  the  5th  they  left  Carlsbad,  and  reached 
Franzbrunn,  where  they  were  entertained  by  national 
songs  and  dances.  The  6th,  Marie  Louise  parted 
from  her  father,  whom  she  was  not  to  see  again  till 
after  the  fall  of  the  Empire ;  she  spent  the  night  at 
Bamberg,  in  the  palace  of  the  Duke  William  of 
Bavaria.  The  next  day,  the  7th,  she  reached  Wiirz- 
burg,  where  her  uncle,  the  Grand  Duke,  gave  her  a 
magnificent  reception.  After  a  few  excursions  to 
the  castle  of  Werneck,  many  boating-parties,  illumi- 
nations, and  concerts  led  by  the  Duke  himself,  she 
continued  her  journey.  She  reached  Saint  Cloud 
July  18,  1812  ;  and  at  six  in  the  evening  the  cannon 
of  the  Invalides  announced  to  the  Parisians  the 
return  of  their  Empress. 

Marie  Louise,  who  was  not  yet  twenty  years  and 
six  months  old,  had  been  for  two  years  and  four 
months  Empress  of  the  French  and  Queen  of  Italy. 


PRAGUE.  373 

In  her  thoughts  she  recalled  everything  that  had  hap- 
pened since  her  pathetic  departure  from  Vienna, — the 
moving  ceremony  at  Braunau,  where  she  was  given 
over  to  the  French ;  her  first  meeting  with  Napoleon 
before  the  church  of  Courcelles ;  her  triumphal  entry 
into  Paris  by  the  Avenue  of  the  Champs  Elyse*es; 
her  magnificent  marriage  in  the  salon  carr€  of  the 
Louvre;  the  brilliant  festivities,  the  journeys,  con- 
tinual ovations ;  the  ball  at  the  Austrian  Embassy,  a 
gloomy  warning  amid  so  much  prosperity ;  her  suffer- 
ings ending  with  a  great  joy,  with  the  birth  of  a  son ; 
the  enthusiasm  which  this  event  aroused  throughout 
the  world ;  then  more  recently,  the  wonderful  splen- 
dor of  the  Dresden  interview.  For  two  years  noth- 
ing but  flattery,  homage,  applause,  music,  triumphal 
arches,  magnificence,  splendid  festivities ;  and,  after 
all,  how  poor  and  empty  it  all  was ! 

So  far  from  her  husband,  her  guide  and  protector, 
Marie  Louise  felt  alone  and  strange  in  the  grand 
palace  of  Saint  Cloud.  It  was  then  that  she  began 
to  suffer  from  those  attacks  of  homesickness  which 
made  her  long  for  the  neighborhood  of  Vienna.  Up 
to  that  day  there  had  been  nothing  but  fairy-like 
splendor;  the  young  sovereign  had  seen  only  the 
brilliant  side  of  the  Empire.  A  vague  presentiment 
made  her  fear  that  she  was  to  see  the  other  side. 
Napoleon  had  not  been  able  to  make  his  wife  share 
his  boundless  confidence  in  himself.  She  would  have 
been  tempted  to  apply  to  all  she  saw  these  words  from 
the  "Imitation" :  "  The  glory  which  comes  from  men 


374  THE  EMPRESS  MARIE  LOUISE. 

passes  quickly,  away.  .  .  .  The  glory  of  this  world  is 
never  void  of  sorrow."  Napoleon  had  just  said  in  his 
last  proclamation:  "Russia  is  led  by  fatality.  She 
must  fulfil  her  destiny."  Alas  !  it  was  not  Russia, 
it  was  France ;  it  was  the  Emperor  who  was  led  by 
fatality.  The  army  had  crossed  the  Niemen  June  24. 
As  the  national  historian  has  said,  "We  shall  find 
glory  at  every  step ;  but  we  must  not  look  for  good 
fortune  beyond  the  Niemen."  Up  to  this  point 
every  one  looked  upon  Napoleon  as  invincible,  and  his 
young  wife  had  imagined  that  he  was  the  incarnation 
of  success.  This  false  idea  soon  vanished.  Marie 
Louise's  happy  days  were  over. 

In  our  book  about  the  Empress  Josephine  we  re- 
gretted that  Napoleon  had  not  oftener  sought  her 
advice.  We  may  say  the  same  thing  regarding  the 
second  Empress.  Marie  Louise  was  very  young  and 
inexperienced,  especially  in  matters  of  statesmanship 
and  diplomacy.  Yet  her  husband,  genius  as  he  was, 
would  have  done  well  to  take  counsel  of  her.  She 
loved  peace,  did  not  care  for  adventure,  and  she 
would  have  dissuaded  him  from  the  Russian  cam- 
paign. She  who  had  known  from  infancy  the  preju- 
dices, passions,  and  rancors  of  the  Viennese  court, 
would  have  warned  him  against  blind  confidence  in 
Austrian  promises.  But  would  she  have  dared  to 
give  even  one  word  of  advice  to  her  powerful  hus- 
band? Had  a  woman  of  twenty  ventured  to  advise 
the  great  Napoleon,  the  modern  Caesar,  the  second 
Charlemagne,  he  would  have  received  the  presump- 


PRAGUE.  375 

tuous  child  with  a  smile.  Yet  it  was  she  who  would 
have  been  right,  and  she  would  have  prevented  the 
lamentable  wreck  of  the  gigantic  Empire.  How 
small  a  thing  is  genius,  that  word  we  utter  with  such 
respect  and  emphasis  I  How  petty  before  God  is  the 
greatest  of  menl 


INDEX. 


Alexander,  the  Emperor,  delays  his 
answer  concerning  his  sister's 
marriage  to  Napoleon,  78. 

Amsterdam,  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise  at,  279. 

Antwerp,  reception  of  Napoleon 
and  Marie  Louise  at,  212 ;  festiv- 
ities at,  in  honor  of  the  baptism 
of  the  King  of  Rome,  268 ;  trans- 
formation of  the  city  by  Na- 
poleon, 278. 

Apollo  Gallery,  Saint  Cloud,  the 
ceremony  of  the  civil  marriage 
in,  173. 

Arc  de  Triomphe  de  1'^toile,  con- 
structed in  canvas  for  Napoleon's 
entry  with  Marie  Louise  into 
Paris,  179. 

Archbishop  of  Vienna,  his  scruples 
respecting  Napoleon's  divorce, 
102;  satisfied  by  Count  Otto  de 
Mesloy,  106. 

Austria,  hatred  of  the  French  in, 
48  et  seq. ;  dangers  threatening, 
60  et  seq. 

Ball,  given  by  Paris  in  honor  of 
Napoleon's  marriage,  219 ;  of  the 
Imperial  Guard  in  honor  of 
Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise,  220 ; 
at  Prince  Schwarzenberg's,  224. 

Baptism  of  the  King  of  Rome,  260 
et  seq. ;  festivities  and  celebra- 
tion of,  266  et  seq. 

Bassano,  Duke  of,  writes  to  Count 
Otto  of  the  meeting  of  Napoleon 
with  the  sovereigns  at  Dresden, 
356;  sends  Count  Otto  de  Mesloy 
news  of  Napoleon,  369. 


Bausset,  M.  de,  extracts  from  his 
Memoirs,  211,  352,  357,  370. 

Beauharnais,  Count  of,  knight  of 
honor  to  Marie  Louise,  320. 

Be'ranger,  quoted,  257,  262. 

Berthier,  Marshal.  See  Prince  of 
Neufchatel. 

Beugnot,  Count,  extracts  from  his 
Memoirs,  279,  284;  gives  an  ac- 
count of  Napoleon's  activity  at 
Dusseldorf ,  285 ;  his  impressions 
of  Marie  Louise,  285 ;  his  remark- 
able testimony  to  Napoleon's  in- 
spiration of  his  officers,  295. 

Biennais,  a  goldsmith,  admitted  to 
the  apartment  of  Marie  Louise, 
329. 

Bombelles,  M.  de,  third  husband  of 
Marie  Louise,  22. 

Bordeaux,  Duke  of,  his  birth,  27. 

Borghese,  Princess  Pauline,  enter- 
tainment given  by,  in  honor  of 
Napoleon's  marriage,  220. 

Bourbons,  the  Spanish,  join  in  the 
adulation  of  Napoleon,  216. 

Braunau,  the  transfer  at,  139. 

Brock,  visit  of  Marie  Louise  to, 
281;  curious  habits  of  the  vil- 
lagers of,  282. 

Caen,  Napoleon's  visit  to,  254. 

Cambace'res,  Prince,  his  prediction 
with  regard  to  Napoleon's  mar- 
riage, 75;  his  grounds  for  the 
divorce,  100;  performs  the  cere- 
mony of  the  civil  marriage, 
174. 

Cardinals,  the  thirteen  Italian, 
who  refused  to  vote  concerning 

377 


378 


INDEX. 


the  divorce,  175;  absent  from 
the  religious  ceremony,  190; 
their  punishment,  197. 

Caroline,  Marie,  Queen  of  Naples, 
condemns  Marie  Louise's  deser- 
tion of  Napoleon,  2 ;  her  charac- 
ter, 40 ;  her  family,  41 ;  her  de- 
testation of  the  new  France, 
43. 

Caroline  of  Wiirtemberg,  her  fidel- 
ity to  her  husband,  Jerome  Bona- 
parte, 2. 

Charles,  Archduke,  Napoleon's 
proxy  at  the  Vienna  marriage, 
123;  his  letter  to  Napoleon,  128; 
acknowledges  Napoleon's  be- 
stowal of  the  broad  ribbon  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  216. 

Chateaubriand,  on  Napoleon,  297; 
his  account  of  Napoleon's  judg- 
ment of  Frederick  William,  290. 

Cherbourg,  Napoleon's  visit  to  the 
navy  yard  at,  255. 

Cologne,  Napoleon  and  Marie  Lou- 
ise at,  286. 

Coronation  coach,  description  of 
the,  181. 

Court  of  Napoleon,  a  list  of  the 
dignitaries  of,  291;  entertain- 
ments and  festivities  of,  293. 

Daru,  M.,  consulted  by  Napoleon 
respecting  his  marriage,  72. 

Davoust,Marshal,transmits  General 
Rapp's  warning  to  Napoleon,  359. 

Delavigne,  Casimir,  verses  of,  on 
Napoleon,  259. 

Divorce  of  Napoleon  and  Josephine, 
religious  difficulties  in  procuring 
it,  98  et  seq. ;  the  Archbishop  of 
Vienna's  scruples  over,  102. 

Dresden,  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise  at,  340. 

Dubois,  Dr.,  installed  at  the  Tuile- 
ries,  24. 

Durand,  Madame,  her  description 
of  an  extravagant  eulogium  of 
Napoleon,  256;  quoted,  293;  one 
of  the  Empress's  ladies,  327. 


Duroc,  Duke  of  Frioul,  leader  of 
the  Military  Party  at  court,  326. 

Diisseldorf,  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise  at,  284 ;  assigned  to  the  old- 
est son  of  Louis  Bonaparte,  284. 

Dutch,  the,  their  antagonism 
broken  down  by  Napoleon's 
tact,  280. 

Emigres,  the,  at  Napoleon's  court, 

288. 

Feltre.ball  given  by  the  Duke  of  ,220. 

Fire  at  Prince  Schwarzenberg's,  226 
et  seq. 

Francis  II.,  Emperor  of  Austria, 
sincere  in  his  friendship  for  Na- 
poleon, 8;  his  marriages,  39  et 
seq. ;  describes  his  interview  with 
Napoleon,  46 ;  his  third  marriage, 
47 ;  refuses  to  influence  his  daugh- 
ter's decision  with  regard  to  her 
marriage,  86 ;  his  letter  to  Napo- 
leon, 113;  the  members  of  his 
family,  120;  testifies  his  loyalty 
to  Napoleon,  126;  letter  of,  to 
Napoleon  announcing  the  Vienna 
wedding,  131;  letter  of,  to  Napo- 
leon about  the  fire  at  Prince 
Schwarzenberg's,  234;  his  letter 
to  Napoleon  regarding  the  ex- 
pected heir,  239;  thanks  Napo- 
leon for  the  portrait  of  Marie 
Louise,  241 ;  meets  Napoleon  and 
Marie  Louise  in  Dresden  in  1812, 
342 ;  his  attitude  to  Napoleon  at 
Dresden,  346;  his  interview  with 
Count  Otto  de  Mesloy  at  Prague, 
364;  entertains  Marie  Louise  at 
Prague,  367. 

Frederick  William  of  Prussia,  Na- 
poleon's judgment  of,  290;  goes 
to  Dresden  to  meet  Napoleon  at 
his  invitation,  351 ;  his  secret  ad- 
vice to  the  Czar,  360. 

Frochot,  Count,  in  the  name  of 
Paris,  presents  a  cradle  for  the 
King  of  Rome,  242. 


INDEX. 


879 


Golz,  Count  von,  circular  of,  re- 
specting Napoleon's  reception  of 
the  King  of  Prussia,  352. 

Hatzfeld,  M.  von,  Frederick  Wil- 
liam's messenger  to  Napoleon, 
351. 

Homage  paid  to  Napoleon  and 
Marie  Louise,  256. 

Hugo,  Victor,  his  description  of  the 
Imperial  government,  296. 

Imperial  Guard,  ball  of,  in  honor 
of  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise 
220. 

Josephine,  her  fidelity  to  Napoleon 
after  the  divorce,  2;  declares  to 
the  Countess  Metternich  her 
desire  for  the  Austrian  alliance, 
69;  Napoleon's  comparison  of, 
with  Marie  Louise,  307 ;  her  devo- 
tion to  the  old  Royalty,  308;  Marie 
Louise's  jealousy  of,  312. 

Klenau,   General,  his   enthusiasm 

for  Napoleon,  366. 
Kourakine,  Prince,  injured  at  the 

fire  at  Prince  Schwarzenberg's, 

230,233. 

Lamartine's  picture  of  Marie 
Louise,  316. 

Las  Casas,  Count  of,  quoted,  348. 

Lazanski,  Countess,  accompanies 
Marie  Louise  to  Braunau,  137; 
dismissed  by  the  Queen  of  Naples, 
150;  her  return  to  Vienna  the 
cause  of  dissatisfaction,  155. 

Lectrices,  the,  of  Marie  Louise,  331. 

Ligne,  the  Prince  of,  his  fine  char- 
acter and  presence,  370. 

Lebrnn,  Duke  of  Piacenza,  his  dif- 
ficulties at  Amsterdam,  279. 

Leyen,  Princess  de  la,  death  of, 
from  injuries  at  Prince  Schwar- 
zenberg's ball,  230. 

Madeleine,  Church  of  the,  intended 
by  Napoleon  as  a  memorial  in 


expiation  of  the  murder  of  Louis 
XVI.,  289. 

Mailly,  Madame  de,  288. 

Marie  Antoinette,  Queen  Marie 
Caroline's  announcement  of  the 
death  of,  to  her  children,  42 ;  the 
place  of  her  execution,  184 ;  rem- 
iniscences of,  at  Versailles,  273; 
reception  and  treatment  of,  by 
the  French  court,  315. 

Marie  Louise  blamed  for  her  deser- 
tion of  Napoleon,  2;  and  for  her 
morganatic  marriages,  3;  atten- 
uating circumstances  of  her 
fault,  3;  tendency  of  her  early 
training,  4 ;  regards  herself  as  a 
sacrifice,  4;  her  regard  for  her 
husband,  7;  leaves  Paris  after 
the  entrance  of  the  Allies,  13; 
obeys  her  father  and  goes  to 
Vienna,  15;  her  error  in  placing 
herself  under  the  protection  of 
the  Allies,  19;  her  message  to 
Napoleon  by  M.  de  Me'neval,  20; 
marries  the  Count  of  Neipperg, 
21;  married  for  the  third  time, 
to  M.  de  Bombelles,  22;  her 
death,  22;  birth  of,  39;  her 
wishes  for  Napoleon's  destruc- 
tion in  1809,  53;  her  marriage 
with  Napoleon  proposed,  67; 
gives  her  consent  to  the  mar- 
riage, 85  et  seq. ;  her  satisfaction 
in  the  alliance,  93;  the  French 
Ambassador's  portrait  of,  95; 
her  reception  of  the  deputations 
of  the  Austrian  States,  114;  her 
conversation  with  the  French 
Ambassador,  115;  her  first  ball, 
117 ;  takes  the  oath  of  renuncia- 
tion, 122;  the  Vienna  marriage 
celebrated,  123;  her  modest  bear- 
ing, 125;  her  departure  from 
Vienna,  133;  her  final  parting 
with  her  father,  138;  the  cere- 
mony of  the  transfer  at  Braunau, 
141;  her  letter  to  her  father, 
145;  forced  to  give  up  her  grand 
mistress,  the  Countess  Lazanski, 


380 


INDEX. 


152;  deprived  of  her  pet  dog, 
152;  meets  General  Neipperg  at 
Strasbourg,  157;  her  correspon- 
dence with  Napoleon,  158;  met 
by  Napoleon  at  Courcelles,  163; 
Baron  de  Meneval's  portrait  of, 
166;  her  letter  to  her  father, 
describing  Napoleon's  reception 
of  her,  168 ;  arrives  at  Saint 
Cloud,  169;  the  civil  marriage 
celebrated,  174 ;  entry  into  Paris, 
181;  the  religious  ceremony  in 
the  Salon  Carr6  of  the  Louvre, 
188  et  seq.;  happy  in  her  new 
relations,  199;  her  satisfaction 
with  her  husband,  203;  jour- 
neys with  Napoleon  through  the 
Northern  Departments,  210;  her 
bearing  described  by  the  Baron 
de  Meneval,  212;  entertainment 
given  in  honor  of,  by  Paris,  217 
et  seq. ;  escapes  with  Napoleon 
from  the  fire  at  Prince  Schwar- 
zenberg's  ball,  227 ;  letter  of,  con- 
cerning the  fire  at  Prince  Schwar- 
zenberg's  ball,  232;  mutual  af- 
fection of  Napoleon  and,  236; 
her  letter  to  her  father  regard- 
ing her  hopes  of  offspring,  238; 
her  presents  to  her  sisters,  240 ; 
the  birth  of  the  King  of  Rome, 
244;  her  quick  recovery,  250; 
her  letters  to  her  father,  252; 
celebration  of  her  birthday  at 
Versailles,  273;  joins  her  hus- 
band at  Antwerp,  278 ;  in  awe  of 
Napoleon,  286;  afraid  to  hold 
her  child,  301 ;  portrait  of  her  in 
1812,  304  et  seq. ;  comparison  by 
Napoleon  between,  and  Jose- 
phine, 307;  her  studied  reserve 
and  prudent  demeanor  in  public, 
309 ;  attached  to,  but  not  in 
love  with,  Napoleon,  311;  her 
jealousy  of  Josephine,  312;  her 
remark  to  Metternich  concern- 
ing Napoleon's  fear  of  her, 
314 ;  Lamartine's  picture  of,  316 ; 
household  of,  320;  her  ladies-in- 


waiting,  327;  daily  habits  of, 
331;  her  talents,  332;  her  char- 
ity, 332;  fond  of  her  son,  333; 
her  relations  with  the  members 
of  Napoleon's  family,  337;  her 
freedom  from  care  and  discom- 
fort, 338 ;  accompanies  Napoleon 
to  Dresden,  340;  her  rivalry  with 
the  Empress  of  Austria,  349; 
meets  Count  Neipperg  at  Dres- 
den, 361;  parts  from  Napoleon, 
362;  her  entrance  into  Prague, 
367;  festivities  in  her  honor, 
370 ;  returns  to  Saint  Cloud,  372 ; 
homesick,  373. 

Marie  Louise  Beatrice  d'Este,  her 
marriage  to  Francis  II.,  47 ;  let- 
ter of,  to  Napoleon,  about  the 
education  of  Marie  Louise,  206; 
her  antipathy  to  Napoleon,  347 ; 
her  jealousy  of  Marie  Louise  at 
Dresden,  347. 

Marie  Therese,  mother  of  Marie 
Louise,  her  marriage  to  Francis 
II.,  40;  death  of,  46. 

Marriage  of  Napoleon  with  Marie 
Louise,  etiquette  of,  90;  objec- 
tions of  the  Archbishop  of  Vien- 
na to,  102;  celebrated  by  proxy 
at  Vienna,  123;  the  civil,  at  Saint 
Cloud,  173;  the  religious  cere- 
mony in  Paris,  188  et  seq. ;  pa- 
geant in  the  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde, 195. 

Maternal  Charity,  Society  of, 
founded  by  Napoleon,  239. 

Maury,  Cardinal,  testimony  of,  as 
to  Napoleon's  lov  for  Marie 
Louise,  313. 

Melito,  Count  Miot  de,  quoted,  295 ; 
describes  Marie  Louise,  310. 

Meneval,  Baron  de,  describes  the 
bearing  of  Marie  Louise,  212;  on 
Napoleon's  character  and  genius, 
297 ;  his  picture  of  Marie  Louise, 
317;  quoted,  334. 

Mesloy,  Count  Otto  de,  his  de- 
spatches to  the  French  court, 
regarding  the  Austrian  alliance, 


INDEX. 


381 


87 ;  his  report  of  a  conversation 
with  Marie  Louise,  115;  satisfies 
the  Archbishop  of  Vienna  with 
regard  to  the  divorce,  107;  de- 
spatch of,  to  the  Duke  of  Bassa- 
no,  describing  his  interview  with 
Francis  II.  at  Prague,  364;  de- 
scribes the  reception  of  Marie 
Louise  at  Prague,  368. 

Metternich,  Count,  becomes  Min- 
ister of  Foreign  Affairs,  61;  his 
stay  in  Paris  and  his  relations 
with  the  court,  204  et  seq. ;  clos- 
eted with  Marie  Louise,  205  et 
seq. ;  extract  from  his  Memoirs, 
respecting  Napoleon's  relations 
to  Marie  Louise,  236;  charged 
by  Napoleon  to  assure  the  Empe- 
ror Francis  of  his  good  feeling, 
237;  Memoirs  quoted,  289,  290, 
291,  346. 

Metternich,  Countess,  approached 
by  Josephine  and  Hortense  on 
the  subject  of  the  Austrian  mar- 
riage, 64  et  seq.;  her  game  of 
cards  with  Napoleon,  71. 

Moniteur,  The,  on  the  baptism  of 
the  King  of  Rome,  257,  261. 

Montebello,  Duchess  of,  maid  of 
honor  to  Marie  Louise,  affection 
between  them,  200;  her  charac- 
ter, 322. 

Montesquieu,  Countess  of,  ap- 
pointed governess  of  the  Impe- 
rial children,  241;  excellent 
character  of,  324;  her  influence 
with  Napoleon  in  favor  of  the 
old  nobility,  325. 

Musset,  Alfred  de,  describes  the 
sensations  caused  by  Napoleon's 
career,  217. 

Napoleon,  his  treatment  of  Marie 
Louise,  7 ;  leaves  her  for  the  last 
time,  11 ;  his  courtesy  to  the  Aus- 
trian commissioners,  55;  his  be- 
lief that  an  heir  would  make  his 
throne  secure,  59;  his  marriage 
with  the  Grand  Duchess  Anne  of 


Russia  proposed,  63  ;  his  divorce 
decreed  and  announced,  68;  de- 
cides to  marry  Marie  Louise,  79 ; 
his  grounds  for  the  annulment  of 
his  marriage  with  Josephine,  100 ; 
his  delight  with  the  marriage, 
159;  his  meeting  with  Marie 
Louise  at  Courcelles,  163;  his 
anger  at  the  thirteen  cardinals, 
190;  is  married  in  the  Salon 
Carre  to  Marie  Louise.  191;  re- 
ceives the  addresses  of  the  great 
bodies  of  the  State,  196;  implaca- 
ble resentment  of,  against  the 
thirteen  cardinals,  197 ;  happy  in 
his  wife,  199;  favorable  change 
in  his  manners,  200;  brings  Met- 
ternich and  Marie  Louise  to- 
gether, 205 ;  journeys  in  the 
Northern  Departments,  210 ;  adu- 
lation of,  211;  scolds  a  Catholic 
deputation  at  Breda,  213;  deifica- 
tion of,  215;  his  coolness  and 
courage  at  the  fire  at  Prince 
Schwarzenberg's,  228 ;  founds 
the  Society  of  Maternal  Charity, 
239;  presents  Marie  Louise  with 
a  set  of  rubies,  240;  his  delight 
at  the  birth  of  a  son,  244;  an- 
nounces the  birth  of  the  King  of 
Rome  to  Francis  II.,  250;  makes 
a  trip  through  Normandy,  253; 
gives  an  entertainment  at  Saint 
Cloud  in  honor  of  the  baptism  of 
his  son,  269 ;  makes  a  trip  to  Bel- 
gium and  Holland,  277;  enters 
Amsterdam  and  endeavors  to 
please  the  Dutch,  280;  his  par- 
tiality for  them,  284 ;  two  periods 
in  his  career,  289;  Charlemagne 
his  model,  287 ;  prefers  to  derive 
his  power  from  divine  right,  289; 
his  regret  that  he  could  not  ap- 
peal to  the  principle  of  legiti- 
macy, 290;  his  opinion  of  Fred- 
erick William,  290;  his  hatred  of 
Jacobins  and  philosophers,  291; 
brilliance  of  his  court,  291;  his 
controlling  genius,  294;  regarded 


382 


INDEX. 


as  an  almost  superhuman  being 
by  those  nearest  him,  297;  his 
pride,  300;  his  happy  relations 
with  Marie  Louise,  301 ;  fond  of 
petting  his  son,  302 ;  in  love  with 
his  wife,  313;  his  esteem  for 
honorable  people,  323;  kind  to 
his  wife  and  son,  335;  at  Dres- 
den, 340 ;  the  culmination  of  his 
power,  342;  subservience  of  the 
German  princes  to,  343;  enter- 
tains the  sovereigns  at  Dresden, 
345 ;  his  reception  of  the  King  of 
Prussia,  353 ;  at  Posen  and  Dant- 
zig,  369. 

Napoleon  II.  See  Duke  of  Reich- 
stadt. 

Narbonne,  Count  of,  suggests  the 
Austrian  alliance,  66 ;  especially 
appreciated  by  Napoleon,  288;  his 
witty  responses  to  Napoleon,  294 ; 
appointed  one  of  Napoleon's 
aides,  321. 

Neipperg,  the  Count  of,  21 ;  marries 
Marie  Louise,  21;  meets  Marie 
Louise  at  Strasbourg,  157 ;  and  at 
Dresden,  361. 

Neufchatel,  the  Prince  of,  Napo- 
leon's ambassador  extraordinary 
to  escort  Marie  Louise  to  France, 
110;  his  entrance  into  Vienna, 
111 ;  makes  a  formal  demand  for 
the  hand  of  the  Archduchess,  117 ; 
honors  done  him  at  the  Vienna 
marriage,  127. 

Otto,  Count.  See  Count  Otto  de 
Mesloy. 

Paris,  entertainment  given  by,  to 
Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise,  217 
et  seq. 

Prague,  reception  of  Marie  Louise 
at,  and  festivities  in  her  honor, 
367  et  seq. 

Prokesch-Osten,  Count,  the  confi- 
dant of  the  Duke  of  Reichstadt, 
31  et  aeq. 


Rambouillet,  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise  at,  253. 

Rapp,  General,  his  warning  before 
the  Russian  campaign,  359. 

Reichstadt,  the  Duke  of,  story  of 
his  life,  23;  his  birth  24,  244;  Ge- 
rard's portrait  of,  24;  his  mili- 
tary tastes  when  a  child,  26 ;  hears 
the  news  of  his  father's  death, 
28;  affection  of  the  Emperor 
Francis  for,  28 ;  his  imperial 
bearing,  30;  his  depression,  31; 
his  death,  33  et  seq. ;  enthusiasm 
of  the  Parisians  on  the  occasion 
of  his  birth,  246 ;  privately  chris- 
tened, 247;  baptism  of,  260  et 
seq. 

Rome,  festivities  at,  in  honor  of  the 
baptism  of  the  King  of,  268. 

Rome,  the  King  of.  See  Duke  of 
Reichstadt. 

Rovigo,  the  Duke  of,  describes  the 
reception  given  to  Marie  Louise 
by  the  Parisian  public,  310. 

Russia,  Napoleon's  fear  of,  in  the 
future,  300. 

Russian  war,  warnings  to  Napoleon 
respecting  the  fate  of,  359. 

Saardam,  made  a  city  by  Napoleon 
in  honor  of  Peter  the  Great,  283. 

Saint  Cloud,  arrival  of  Napoleon 
and  Marie  Louise  at,  169;  civil 
marriage  in  Apollo  Gallery,  173 ; 
brilliant  spectacle  at,  in  honor  of 
the  baptism  of  the  King  of  Rome, 
270;  a  storm  interrupts  the  fes- 
tivities at,  272. 

Salon  Carrd,  Louvre,  the  religious 
ceremony  of  the  marriage  of  Na- 
poleon and  Marie  Louise  in,  188; 
brilliant  assemblage  in,  188. 

Saxony,  King  of,  his  devotion  to 
Napoleon,  346. 

Schwarzenberg,  Prince  Charles  de, 
anxious  for  Marie  Louise  to  be- 
come Empress  of  the  French,  67 ; 
his  instructions  regarding  the 
Austrian  marriage,  79;  signs 


INDEX. 


the  marriage  contract,  82;  ball 
of,  at  the  Austrian  Embassy, 
224;  fire  at  the  house  of,  226  et 
seq. 

Schwarzenberg,  Princess  Pauline 
de,  burned  to  death  at  the  ball, 
231,233. 

Schwarzenberg,  the  young  Princess 
Pauline  de,  232. 

Segur,  General  de,  extract  from  his 
Memoirs  on  Napoleon's  visit  to 
Cherbourg,  254;  quoted,  299,  343; 
alarmed  at  the  concealed  hostil- 
ity of  the  Germans  to  Napoleon, 
355,358. 

Soissons,  preparations  at,  for  the 
meeting  of  Napoleon  and  Marie 
Louise,  162. 

Staaps,  attempt  of,  to  assassinate 
Napoleon,  57. 


Thiers,  on  the  baptism  of  the  King 
of  Rome,  265 ;  quoted,  340,  341. 

Touzart,  General,  injured  at  Prince 
Schwarzenberg's  ball,  230. 

Trautmansdorff,  Prince,  appointed 
Marie  Louise's  escort,  90. 

Treaty  signed  at  Dresden  by  Fred- 
erick William,  350. 

Trobriand,  General  de,  5. 

Tuileries,  theatrical  representa- 
tions at  the,  293. 

Versailles,  celebration  of  the  birth- 
day of  Marie  Louise  at,  274. 

Vienna,  surrender  of,  May  12, 1809, 
53;  the  peace  of,  60;  the  en- 
thusiasm in,  over  the  French 
alliance,  93,  97. 

Voltaire,  Napoleon's  aversion  to, 
291. 


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